King of the Castle
by malfoyisawesome
Summary: Dramione. 7th Year as Head Boy and Girl. The two students get closer and develop feelings for each other, even as hard as Malfoy tries not to. Thier eventual relationship is led up to by humorous events and dialogue. Rated M for later scenes, not too bad.
1. The Slytherin King

A/n- To all my old readers, welcome back. Sorry about previous unfinished fics, but I needed a fresh start. I feel like my writing has dramatically improved, and I need a new fic to really emphasize that.

To all new readers, welcome. Reviews are always welcome here. I do have a completed fic, written from about 3 years ago I believe but not bad for my first time. So check that out if you're bored or have the time. Also, I reply to all reviews and try to answer questions.

This is a Hermione/Draco fic, written from Draco's point of view. All of mine are; they're my favorite pairing. I have a good idea of where I want to go with this, but I don't plan them out in advance, so that can change. Well, enjoy, read, and review. :D

P.S. I will tend to swear, curse, cuss, whatever you call it. So, beware on that. Often, as well, I have crude humor. I don't write intense smut, so no problems there.

**Disclaimer- I own nothing, this world is J.K Rowling's. **

_Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up:  
These are the best days of our lives.  
The only thing that matters  
is just following your heart  
and eventually you'll finally get it right._

[In This Diary- The Ataris

**Chapter 1- The Slytherin King**

"Fuckin'…bloody thing," Draco complained while desperately tugging at his Head Boy badge. It was stuck on his robes crooked, and he picked at it, trying to straighten it. Finally, after one last final pull, he managed to detach it from the robe and re-pin it, straight this time, right below the Slytherin crest on his plain black Hogwarts' robes.

"There… so much better," he said to no one in particular but his reflection, as he stared back at himself in the mirror. He wore simple black Slytherin robes, a deep green cloak, and black dragon hide boots. His platinum blond hair hung shaggily past his chin, still damp from the morning's shower. He smirked back at himself, and the mirror reflected it.

"Good look, Mister Malfoy," the mirror responded back to him. He laughed and winked at himself, and turned on his heel, heading back to the trunk ajar at the end of his bed. He grabbed the remaining books off the bed and tossed them into his trunk, slammed it closed, and pocketed his wand off the bedside table.

Draco Malfoy headed down the long stairway towards the living room, hoping to hurry his parents up. He passed a house elf on his way down, and commanded it to grab his things and bring them downstairs immediately. The elf squeaked and tripped in its hurry to carry out his command.

Reaching the ground floor, Draco strode over to the set of elaborate double doors, and, knocking once, entered quickly. He had entered a high-ceilinged room with a crystal chandelier and several comfortable leather couches. The desks in the corner were cluttered with his father's work, as well as quills and other supplies.

"Father," Draco said politely, and waited for his father to properly address him. Lucius looked up from the _Prophet _and glanced at Draco, then checked his watch. Narcissa sat on an opposite couch, reading through a back issue of _Witch Weekly. _

"Yes, son, we'll be off in just a moment. I wish to read this article regarding a serious of attacks in Muggle London. Why don't you grab a spot of breakfast? The elves have cooked some eggs and bacon, I believe," Lucius replied, already back to reading the newspaper.

Draco nodded and excused himself to the kitchen, where he grabbed a steaming plate of food, and set himself to finishing the entire thing. Ten minutes later, after shoveling down a whole plate of eggs, bacon and sausages, he hopped off the chair and headed back to the living room. When he arrived, his trunk, owl, and broom were already awaiting him. His father and mother were standing; Lucius was rummaging in his cloak for his wand, and Narcissa was muttering something about a cookbook she needed to buy.

"Alright Draco. Grab Orion, there we are. I've got your trunk; your mother has your Firebolt. Excellent, alright. Apparate on three then; one…two…three." On three, Draco twisted on his heel, the picture of King's Cross platform 9 ¾ clear in his head. He had a sick feeling of being squeezed through rubber tubing before unsteadily landing on his feet in front of the gleaming Hogwarts Express, already full of Hogwart's students.

"Draco, dear! There you are!" Narcissa was running towards him, frenetic. Draco smirked and allowed himself to be pulled into his mother's grasp and then a firm hug. She was sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulder, mumbling words that were incomprehensible. Lucius came striding over, trying to look extremely official and important.

After Narcissa let go, Draco shook himself off a bit, and his mother wiped away the remaining tears. Lucius pulled Draco into a tight embrace, and reminded him to have a good term.

"Your things are in the Heads' compartment. I saw that mudblood girl in there as well, so I'm thinking she must be the Head Girl. Such a pity, giving away great titles to unworthy candidates," he spat angrily, shaking his head, and looking beyond Draco to a group of redheads.

Draco turned to see the Weasley's; Ron and Ginny, as well Harry, standing about 20 feet down the platform. Draco sneered in their direction, and gave his mother a last hug before lugging his owl cage to the front of the train. He waved once to his family, and finally entered his compartment, only to find Hermione sitting there already.

He ignored her for a moment, storing his owl in the above cupboard, and checking to make sure his broom was there as well. After a minute, he took a deep breath and turned around, to find the compartment empty. He nodded and smiled, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Makes my job a lot easier," he commented to himself, and exited the compartment to find his friends. Heading down the hallway, he was forced to dodge small children running, curses, and oddly enough, a group of toads croaking in the middle of the hallway. Chuckling to himself, he managed to make his way to the very back of the train, and threw open a compartment door, and spotted Pansy, Blaise, Theodore Nott, Goyle and Crabbe.

"_There_ you are!" Pansy screeched, throwing her arms around Draco's neck and dragging him down into the empty seat next to her. Blaise nodded his head in greet, Crabbe and Goyle grunted, and Nott muttered a hello before returning to his book. Draco glanced at the cover, noticing it was Advanced Potions. He snorted quietly and looked back to Pansy.

"I was down the train, in the Heads' compartment, putting my shit away. Miss me already?" he asked, smirking as Pansy's lips closed around his. She nodded, seemingly happy that he had finally showed up. Blaise rolled his eyes.

"How long have you two been together?"

Draco shrugged, ignoring Pansy as she tried to count out the weeks they had been dating. It had barely been that long, and Draco was only in it for the shag. Pansy, on the other hand, had been at him forever to be together. They were meant to be together, she said, since she was rich and so was he. Draco had a feeling his father had put her up to it.

"Anyways Pans, I can't stay long. I have to go to that prefect meeting in a few minutes, when the train starts. I know," he said, hearing Pansy's groan, "but I have to. I'm Head Boy, remember. Don't give me that crap, Pansy."

Pansy rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers. They sat like this for a few minutes, and the rest of the group caught up on what each of them had done this summer. Draco barely listened; Pansy's hand had been creeping up his leg for some time. He smirked as she looked over to him, winking.

The train whistled just as Pansy's hand had reached to creep under his robe. "Fuck," he muttered, standing up roughly. Pansy threw him a nasty look and he ignored it, giving her another kiss before giving hurried goodbyes to the rest of his friends. He headed back to towards the prefects compartment, lost in his own thoughts.

Once there, he was forced to listen to the mindless rambling of some train conductor about good behavior on the train, and then Hermione stood forward to introduce herself as the new Head Girl.

"It's a big responsibility guys, but you all have an important job too. Alright, uhm… this is…Er…" Hermione trailed off, looking at Draco.

"Right then, thanks mudblood, for the kind words of encouragement." A few students gasped in surprise. "I'm Draco, call me Malfoy please. Or Sir. Master, if you so wish." A few Slytherin students laughed out loud at this. "I'm Head Boy, and I plan to abuse this position, and I expect all of you to do so as well."

Hermione gave him an extremely nasty look at that statement, and tried to cut in, but he headed her off.

"Anyways, just look out for the brats. Don't be afraid to use your power, that's what it's for. You'll never be a good prefect if you let everyone off; except your friends. Alright, off with you, I'm in need of a good firewhisky and then a nap."

The prefects looked appalled at Draco's behavior, but trickled out of the compartment quickly, calling out to their friends to wait up. Hermione busied herself with a few books she had, and then sat down behind the table of the compartment, immersed in whatever in hell she was reading.

Draco plopped himself noisily into a seat, yawning and stretching, and finally settled himself into a comfortable position. Hermione glared at him angrily for a moment, and Draco coughed.

"Yes?" Hermione asked, not polite at all.

"Ooo, manners, Granger."

"For you, not in this lifetime."

"A little feisty, I wonder how Ron likes that. In his bed, I suppose," Draco retorted, and Hermione's angry face appeared over the book again, beet red.

"As if that's any of your business."

"Oh, I think I hit a nerve."

Hermione started humming a song to block him out, but Draco started to hum louder.

"What is your problem!" she screamed, flinging the book across the table and missing him by mere inches. Draco looked at her, apprehensively, and picked up the book and placed it on the table.

"No problem, Granger, other than the fact that you're a good-for-nothing insufferable bookworm, and I'm not particularly looking forward to spending a year in your presence."

"Well, neither am I. So let's make this as painless as possible. You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

"You don't make the rules Granger. Let me make this clear; my room is my room, and your stuff, and your friends," he spat, "better steer clear, or we're going to have some issues. I don't care what Potty and Weasel are to you, I don't wish any of them in my quarters, and you'll do well not to be giving out our password to either of them. Is that completely clear?"

Hermione looked at him, dumbfounded, like she had been slapped. She, however, recovered quickly, and her face got extremely red.

"I don't believe, Malfoy, that anyone made you King of the castle. I'll do what I wish, and if those rules apply to my friends, then your friends better understand them as well."

Draco eyed her maliciously and then stated, "Fair enough. We have a deal."

"Pleasure doing business with you," she replied nastily, slamming her book closed, and got up, crossed the room, and exited without another word. She didn't return for the remainder of the journey.

"Woah, Draco, slow down a bit," Pansy advice him as he devoured his second plate of chicken and potatoes. Draco shook his head, no, and continued to chew his chicken. Pansy shook her head in astonishment and continued to pick at her small piece of pork.

The sorting was over, and dessert was just around the corner. Draco had been starving, having just that small breakfast so many hours ago. After cleaning off that plate, dessert magically appeared. He grabbed a truffle and slice of pie, and dug into that.

After all was said, done, and ate, Draco settled back into his seat. His gaze wandered over to the Gryffindor table quickly, scanning it for the sign of his would-be new roommate. She was chatting animatedly with Ron, who was blushing the color of his hair. Harry was turned towards Lavender, who was talking about a mile a minute from what Draco could see.

"Ahem," Professor McGonagall said, clearing her throat. McGonagall was the new headmistress, after the unfortunate death of Dumbledore the previous year. The whole Hall fell silent almost immediately; Professor McGonagall was another teacher who could hold the silence of a class with ease.

"Welcome to a new year, old students. To our new ones, welcome to Hogwarts. Now, I am aware there is a war in process right now, but I want you all to feel safe at Hogwarts. I am available at all times; if not in my office, I may be in my classroom. For anyone wondering, yes, I have taken off both duties; Transfiguration and Headmistress."

"Moving on, I will remind you that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. All trips to Hogsmeade had, of course, been suspended. I apologize, but it is unsafe at the moment. Also, I wish to address a final matter."

"We have a whole new host of new prefects this year, some old ones, of course, returning. I look to the prefects in this time to help care for the students' concerns. Finally, we have chosen a new Head Boy and Girl. If Draco and Hermione would join me please, up front."

Draco hastily stood, smoothing his robes and hair, and then proceeded to the stage. He flashed his famous smirk back at the Slytherin table, which erupted in cat calls, shouts and whistles. Hermione got a polite clapping from every table except Slytherin, and Gryffindors were chanting her name.

"Thank you. Draco Malfoy is the new Head Boy, a very courageous, hard-working, prominent wizard in our school as well as the community. Hermione Granger is our Head Girl, a very smart, honest and polite witch in and outside school and its' activities. I personally congratulate them, and wish them good luck."

Polite clapping followed this, and McGonagall stepped down from the podium, dismissing the students with a wave of her hand. She called over Draco and Hermione, ushering them into a side chamber off the hall.

"You both are well aware, I'm sure, that you will have your own common room and dormitories this year. This is a big responsibility as well as an honor. This gives you both privacy and solitary from the remainder of the school, and we hope you will take that to your advantage. I need not remind you, I'm sure, that your privileges can be stripped from you and given to another pupil if either of you misbehave. I'm sure, however, that this will not be an issue." She was looking at Hermione at those final words, and glanced at Draco fleetingly.

"I'll show you to your quarters then," she finished, heading out of the antechamber into the Great Hall, which was empty except for a few stragglers. She led them at a brisk pace, and even Draco was struggling to keep up. They climbed five flights of stairs and headed through two secret tapestries before reaching another hidden staircase, and at the top of that was a portrait.

"The password is Munchkin. No one else is to have the password, I hope that is understood. I personally don't want to hear complaints about break-ins or any such nonsense. Now, your belongings are already in your rooms. You two will be sharing a bathroom, so locking doors when using the facilities should be used. I doubt this will be an issue."

Hermione listened quietly while Draco tapped his foot impatiently.

"I do not want to hear complaints about fighting. I haven't got time for any rubbish. Be respectful if you can't get alone. Now, I must be off. Good luck you two," she finished quickly, and turned quickly on her toe and stormed off down the hall in quite the hurry. Hermione recited the password and the bald man in the painting allowed them entry.

They stepped into a room quite a deal smaller than normal common rooms, but much taller, and definitely more opulent. Paintings lined the simple silver and gold painted walls, leading all the way up to a set of four chandeliers, spaced out amongst the ceiling. There were comfortable armchairs, two leather couches, and several desks around the room. In the center of the far wall, there was an elaborate fireplace with a roaring fire in the grate, and a set of armchairs in front of it, next to a small coffee table. Next to the fire, shelves halfway up the walls were filled with dusty volumes of books, novels and other study materials.

Hermione walked steadily towards the books, and lightly let her fingers brush over the spines. Draco snorted and headed to a desk with his name on it. He rummaged momentarily in the drawers, which were filled with parchment, quills and ink. He smiled to himself; already set for work.

At the same time, the two looked towards the right wall, where two plain black doors were. Draco stepped towards the one with his name above it; it opened easily at his touch and he headed up the stone staircase. At the top, there was another door, which led into his new bedroom.

It was similar to his bedroom in the Slytherin common room, except he was the only one in it now. His trunk was situated at the end of his bed, his broom lying next to it. His four poster bed looked comfortable and was topped by a thick down green comforter. Beside his was bed was a small cabinet, where he could store small belongings. On the far wall was a window, which looked out past the lake to the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

On the opposite wall was another door, which led into the bathroom he supposed. He stepped through that door and set his eyes on a white tiled extravagant bathroom, decked with two showers, sinks, a toilet, and a bath the size of a small swimming pool. On the edge of the pool was a Jacuzzi with jets and bubbly soap, from what he could see.

"It's a nice place, isn't it?" Hermione said, piquing Draco's attention. He looked up and sneered at her.

"Yeah and it'd be a whole hell of a lot better without you around."

"You aren't capable of being civil, are you?"

"Not so much to you, mudblood."

"Do _not_ call me that. It's rude and demeaning."

Draco didn't say anything else, but turned to leave.

"Nothing to say to that?"

"Nothing, but if you continue to talk I'm going to hex you so you can't talk anymore," he threatened, and strode silently out of the bathroom, leaving Hermione mouthing wordlessly in his wake.

After settling into his room and enjoying a quick reading session by the fire, Draco headed up to take a shower. He allowed 15 minutes worth of hot water to pelt his skin, and then got out and toweled off. There was a knock on the door, which he ignored and continued to get changed. Hermione knocked again, more urgently this time.

"Two fucking minutes, Merlin's beard!" he yelled back, and the knocking ceased. He hurried to comb his hair and then unlocked the door leading to Hermione's room, and headed back into his. He heard the click of the lock bolting into its place, but ignored it.

Draco blew out the candle in his room, and he was plunged into darkness. He lay in his soft bed, warmed by heating pans under the sheets. He sighed a breath of content, and closed his eyes. He was fast asleep five minutes later.

A/n- Hope you like. Also, the title is a bit lacking. I wasn't sure what to have for a title. I'm a little iffy on this one, so I'll let you know if it's going to change. Hope you liked- read and review. :D


	2. The Devil

A/n- Ah, welcome back loyal and faithful readers of mine, which I still need to gain more of. Few apologies. One, there were meant to be story breaks, but apparently using stars doesn't show up on fan fiction, which I never realized. So, I fixed that in this chapter. Yes, there were minor mistakes, I do realize. But, I wrote that in around 3 hours, and I apparently didn't reread too carefully, so I'm sorry about that. I'll try to do a better job this time around.

Read and review my little buddies. :D

------

_In spite of the way you were mocking me  
Acting like I was part of your property  
Remembering all the times you fought with me  
I'm surprised it got so far  
Things aren't the way they were before  
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore  
Not that you knew me back then  
But it all comes back to me  
In the end_

(In The End, Linkin Park)

Chapter 2- The Devil

Early morning wake-ups were clearly not Draco's thing, per say. After dragging himself out of bed with only a half hour left until his first class, he managed to barely get dressed properly before he dashed off down the hallway.

Today, he was dressed in black robes again, this time with white sneakers. His hair was uncombed; he hadn't had time for that, but it suited him nice. His blue-grey eyes were droopy and sleepy looking; he literally looked like he rolled right out of bed. It didn't reflect him at all, but Draco had always despised the first day of classes. It always caught him completely off guard.

He skidded down the corridor, dodging two confused first years, who tried to hail him down for directions. He ignored them, skirted around a suit of armor and Mrs. Norris, and ducked silently into Defense Against the Dark Arts. The new Professor, Professor Taft, didn't seem to notice or care.

Draco took the last available seat, which was next to Hermione Granger, of all people. Hermione gave him a nasty look and turned her attention back to Harry, who was seated on her other side. Draco took out his book and placed it between himself and Hermione, and took out a quill and ink, beginning to doodle.

"Draco…Malfoy? Present?" the Professor asked, and Draco lazily raised his hand and went back to drawing. The Professor continued to take attendance, and then went on to discuss class aims during the course of the year. Half of the class was in a stupor similar to Draco's, and others, such as Hermione, were paying rapt attention and taking notes.

Glancing over, Draco snorted to himself while he watched Hermione's hand furiously scribble the class aims on a piece of parchment, smudging half her writing in her haste. Harry was reading over her shoulder and shaking his head, which was ignored by Hermione. Draco looked away and back to his drawing, which seemed to be a picture of a cat climbing a tree.

"What the bloody hell is that Malfoy?" Harry asked, peering over his shoulder. Draco leered back at Harry.

"It's a cat Scarhead, was it not obvious? Or do you need new glasses?" Draco retorted, covering his parchment with his hand casually.

"Well I was going to say it was pretty good…"

"I don't care what you have to say about it Potter. Mind your own business."

Harry looked away without saying anything more on the subject, and Draco had a feeling Hermione had stopped him. Well, at least one of the two of the roommates was going to try to be civil. Draco, on the other hand, was all for making Granger's life a living hell this year.

"Mr. Malfoy, are you paying attention back there?" Professor Taft asked over the dull roar of the classroom, and half the class turned to stare at him. Draco feigned innocence and looked up, smiling politely. He slipped the notes Hermione had taken out of her grasp and held them up, as if to prove he had been listening.

"Yes sir, here are my notes." Hermione shot him a glare and as soon as he dropped his hand, she grabbed the parchment back and started muttering curse words under her breath.

"Why, that's marvelous Draco. Ten points to Slytherin. Now, moving on…"

Hermione looked at him in apparent disgust and shock, and raised her hand to tell on Draco. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it down.

"One word Granger, and tonight isn't going to be pretty in our common room, I'll promise you that."

"Is that a threat, Malfoy?" She said in a raised voice, and two boys in the row in front turned to see what was going on.

"I'm glad you caught on so fast, Granger," he finished, just as the bell rang. He gathered up his materials and stormed out of the classroom before Hermione could get another chance to retaliate. He was the first one out of the room, and this time, wasn't late for his next class, which was Advanced Transfiguration.

Of course, Hermione and Harry had to be in the same classes as him. The stomped in angrily about three minutes later and found seats the farthest away from Draco as they could manage, which was perfectly fine by him. A minute later, the bell rang, and Blaise Zabini joined him at the seat next to him. Shortly after, McGonagall stepped in, and the room fell silent immediately.

The first class was always a drag, since they always just reviewed and listened to pointless spiels about up-coming tests, careers, and goals for the class before taking exams. McGonagall was particularly lengthy on her discussion about N.E.W.T.s, and Draco found himself almost nodding off before Blaise poked him with a quill to wake him up.

After the 45 minute explanation on the class this year, and the lecture about final exams for 7th year, McGonagall put them to work practicing simple vanishing spells, which they did in 6th year, and for Draco, were particularly easy. He was awarded 5 points for being the first one in the class to complete the accompanying questions, even before Hermione, who seemed distracted.

"Good job, Mr. Malfoy. No, you cannot be exempt from homework. Take this and pass the rest around."

Draco grumbled and grabbed a sheet of parchment with another set of questions to answer, and passed the pile on to Blaise, who was still trying to figure out why only half his mouse had disappeared, leaving a very unappealing looking half-creature on the table. Draco gave a shudder and turned away from it, and Blaise rolled his eyes, swiping the creature into the rubbish bin, still squirming.

When the bell rang, Blaise and Draco both discovered they had a free period, and decided to hang out in the Slytherin Common Room for awhile. As soon as he entered, Pansy screeched and jumped out of the armchair she was in, striding over to him quickly. Draco embraced her quickly and set his bag onto the floor in front of the fire, kicking out a group of third years.

"Get to class, idiots," he commanded, and they jumped up and ran off towards their dormitories. Pansy giggled and sat on Draco's lap, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Where were you at breakfast, Drakey?" she asked, staring into his deep grey eyes with her rough brown ones. Draco shrugged and told her about his first-day lateness. She played with his long strands of hair and Draco cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

"Look guys, I'd love to watch, but I want to be able to eat lunch soon," Blaise said, cutting them off from what seemed to be the start of a long snog. Pansy shrieked with laughter, but Draco just shrugged, pulling his bag towards him, intending to start some work.

Pansy, Blaise, and Draco sat on the floor, Indian-style, and started their homework load a bit early. Draco managed to finished the Transfiguration homework easily in twenty minutes, and pulled his DADA book towards him to begin reading the first chapter, which ahd been assigned as homework.

Blaise was still struggling his was through the questions, and Draco pushed his paper towards him, not looking away from the words in the book. Pansy had her quill between her teeth and was tapping her wand against her parchment, trying to make her wand spell check the paper.

"You're going to set the thing on fire, Pansy," Draco commented, fixing the spelling of the words on her paper with a flick of his wand. Pansy huffed and put away the homework, kissing Draco quickly on the lips before getting up.

"Thanks Drakey."

"Don't call me Drakey, how many times have I told you this. Where are you going?"

"You're ignoring me, for homework of all things, so I'm going to go see Melana. See you later at dinner." With that, she swept out of the room angrily. Draco shrugged and smirked at Blaise, and turned back to his boring textbook. With any luck, he'd be able to ignore Pansy tonight at dinner if he went early, and have a nice peaceful evening, just him, a novel, and a blazing fire in the grate.

------

"Happy…place," Draco said, sinking back into his comfortable armchair in the Head's Common Room. He sighed a breath of contentment and grabbed his book off the coffee table, glanced at the fire to watch the flames for a second, and opened to his page. His eyes scanned the page, eyes skimming over the words quickly. Occasionally, he flipped the page, settling deeper into his sense of comfort and relaxation as the minutes wore on.

He was about to turn the page when the portrait door slammed open, hit the wall, and slowly shut back onto it's frame. Draco flinched but continued to read, ignoring the angry footsteps coming closer. A large book slammed onto the glass table, making the glass quiver under its apparent weight. He refused to look up.

"Ahem," Hermione coughed, tapping her foot. Draco continued to pretend to read, but in reality, he was staring at the middle of the page.

"Malfoy, please stop pretending to read and look at me."

He looked up slowly, curiously, and then dropped his eyes back to the book, stretching at the same time. "Why would I do that; I just ate you see, and I wouldn't want to dirty these nice soft carpets."

Hermione stood there, like she had been slapped.

"You know, you should get that expression permanently painted on your face. It's a good look for you," he added, as an afterthought, and turned the page of his book. He managed to read the first line of the page before it was violently ripped out his hands and thrown across the room.

"You are a rude, insufferable git, did you know that?" she screamed. Her face was red and her knuckles were white from the fists she was making.

"Did you know that you're invading my happy place?" Draco responded, chuckling to himself. She was speechless after that, and Draco picked up his book and sat back in his chair once again, trying to block out Hermione's annoyed grumbling.

"I don't understand how we're going to live together for 9 months," Hermione stated, and Draco smile at her.

"Whenever you want to move out, just give me notice."

"I give up."

"Oh, so soon? I was hoping to get a bit more abuse in before that. Ah, well, can't have everything in life."

"How are you even Head Boy?" she questioned him.

"Well normally they select the best students from 7th year, Granger."

"I think McGonagall got it wrong."

"My thoughts exactly. And that's how we ended up with you."

"I'm the top stude-"

"Self-proclaimed," Draco cut her off, and finished her sentence. "Now, I'm going to continue to read and ignore you."

She didn't say anything after that, and Draco heard the casual thumping of feet going up the stairs before the thud of a door slamming back against it's frame. Moments later, the water in the shower started. Sighing contently, Draco resumed the reading of his novel.

-------

The rest of the week passed in a blur for Draco. By Friday, his body was attuned to the early morning wake-up, and he didn't look like a 'cat drowned in water', which were Granger's sweet words towards him Wednesday morning. That had sparked another fight, which helped to add to the total, of which was now 7 fights in 5 days. And the 5th day had barely begun.

"I'm telling you, that woman is in no fit shape to be living with human beings," Draco said hurriedly to Blaise, as they headed to Potions Friday morning. "Everything I goddamn do, she has an issue with it. Then she gives me a twenty minute bloody lecture on being civil. As if, she needs to take her own fucking advice."

Blaise was chuckling to himself, and Draco shot him a look.

"It's not funny. I'd like to see you try living with a mudblood."

"Well, mate, it's only a school year. Then you'll never have to see her again. But, I feel for you Malfoy."

"Yeah, bloody 9 months. If she doesn't kill me by then, I'll be praying for my wand to backfire on me."

Blaise laughed loudly and patted him on the back, and headed into the Potions room, where Professor Slughorn was already taking attendance.

"Sorry Professor," Draco grumbled, and Blaise murmured something along the same lines, and they plopped themselves into two seats in the back of the classroom. Slughorn gave them a disproving look but continued calling out names. Draco adored Potions because he was very good at it, and there was plenty of time to talk, since they always just made potions and did nothing else.

Professor Slughorn set them to work on a difficult potion, with directions on the board, and hobbled out of the room. Draco wondered where he went when he did this, considering he hadn't returned yesterday. Either way, the entire class slowly got up to fetch missing ingredients, or else to get closer to the board, since Slughorn's writing was practically illegible.

Blaise and Draco set to work on the potion together, chopping roots, stirring ingredients in, and taking turns to decipher the script on the board.

"Now… I think that says three times clockwise. Is that a three there Draco?"

"No… I think it's an eight. Yeah, it is."

"So eight times clockwise? Alright."

Draco stirred his potion eight times clockwise, and his potion turned a light purple shade, exactly as it should be. Blaise's, however, turned a deep, murky purple, almost brown-ish. Draco shuddered when he smelled it.

"I think you put the heat too high." Draco peered under the cauldron to the flames, which were a considerable amount bigger than his, and were licking the cauldron fiercely. "A bit too high. Lower it past mine, it should settle out."

With Draco's instructions, Blaise's potion turned out alright, although not as great as Draco's, who received the highest possible grade for his. Draco smirked triumphantly, and packed up his cauldron and supplies, stuffing them back into his backpack. Blaise grumbled the whole time, complaining that there would be no way he was going to pass his Potions N.E.W.T.

Draco adored Fridays, because his schedule was tremendously easy. After lunch, he had no classes and was free for the entire day. He took his time, eating through three plates of steak tips, baked potatoes and fresh corn off the cob. He enjoyed every bite of it, and then headed back up to his dormitory. He smiled to himself as he imagined a long nap before dinner, just him, his bed, and complete relaxation.

He reached the portrait, said the password, and headed into the common room. He climbed his staircase immediately, grabbed a pair of boxers from his trunk and a white t-shirt, and headed into the bathroom. He turned on the hot water, and took a fifteen minute shower, scrubbing off all the stress from his mind.

He got out and shook the water off the tendrils of his hair, combing it through quickly, and used a spell to dry it. He climbed into silver boxers and pulled the shirt over his head, and opened the door to his room.

"Shit!" he said, almost knocking right into Hermione. "W-…What? Get the fuck out of my room Granger!" he screamed, backing up into the bathroom.

"Relax Malfoy."

"What the bloody hell are you doing in there?"

"Oh, I just wanted a tour of the wonderful Malfoy's room. Clearly, I needed to talk to you," she said simply, backing away from the door now, and looking worriedly around his bedroom. She didn't seem comfortable in enemy territory.

"Do I need to lock my door from now on? I don't want small talk with a mudblood anyways, Granger."

She didn't react to his nasty comment, but didn't answer him either. She stared back at him and glared into his eyes, tapping her foot angrily. Draco smirked and walked around her, heading towards his bed.

"It's been good chatting with you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to spend my afternoon off in relaxation. A solo adventure, just me and my bed."

"Way too much information, Malfoy. But you can't sleep. We need to sit and plan out the schedules for patrolling for the next month, so we can hand them out to the prefects tonight at dinner," Hermione explained, holding up a length of parchment with a box type chart on it. Draco groaned, and put his head in his hands. He did not need this right now.

"You do it. I'm resting," he finally decided.

"You have to help, you're the Head Boy. Don't make me tell Mc-"

"Oh, here we bloody go, ratting me out. Alright, alright, I'm bloody coming.

Draco took a few deep breaths, and went to his trunk to get on more suitable clothing. He pulled out a pair of Muggle jeans, a long sleeve black silk shirt, and a pair of socks. He pulled on these, and then turned to realize Hermione was still watching.

"Staring is impolite Granger. Although I know you enjoy what you see."

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, bighead."

"I don't have to flatter myself, others do it for me. And yes, I do have a big-"

"_Please_ don't finish that sentence," Hermione said, her face horrified, and she shuddered. "Let's just get this over with."

"We finally agree on something," Draco simply stated, leading the way downstairs. They settled on two opposite armchairs in front of the fire, spreading the chart out. Hermione pulled a list of prefects and their extracurricular activities out of her bag, and unrolled that.

The two of them pored over the two parchments, taking turns reading the list and scratching out possible times or notes on a separate parchment. A simple question or statement interrupted the silence every few minutes, but other than that, the two sat quietly. Finally, they both looked up, and Hermione pulled the real chart towards her.

Together, they filled in each block of patrolling for each prefect, double checking to make sure there would be no interruptions from schoolwork, quidditch practice, or any other possible club or group. Draco noticed that he barely had any other hours; Hermione explained that was because the two of them would have to plan other things, taking more time out of their schedules.

After almost two hours of complicated scheduling, Hermione rolled up the scroll and smiled towards Draco, who did not return the smile. He was grumpy because he had spent his nap time doing even more work, on his day off. He sneered back at Hermione before lifting himself up off the ground, where they had ended up.

"Wow, two hours, and no fighting. I'm impressed at your apparent improvement on your social skills Malfoy," Hermione commented.

"We didn't exactly communicate; I barely call that social, Granger. Now, if we are done here…"

"Yes, we are. I'll deliver this to Professor McGonagall tonight so she can have someone copy it by tomorrow. I'm sure you have some whores to catch up with."

Draco was stunned by that comment. He turned on the spot and glared at Hermione.

"What, Granger?" he replied sharply. Hermione smiled coyly and returned her attention to her backpack, which she was loading with her quills and ink they had used.

"Nothing, Malfoy."

"You little bitch," he muttered, and marched up to her. He towered any easy 9 inches over her small body, and she backed away, finding her wand in her pocket feverishly. Draco got to his first and pointed it at her.

"Stop moving." She did. "Don't talk to me like that, ever again. If you want to ever have a chance of getting along with even the smallest sense of peace, you'll keep your mouth shut, especially about my choice in women."

"Then you'll keep your mouth shut about my blood status." Draco contemplated this a moment.

"Fine, you have a deal, Granger."

"I seem to be making deals with the devil more commonly," Hermione replied, snickering.

"Indeed, welcome to hell. Sign with blood, please," Draco said cleverly back, and smiled at Hermione before heading out the door to dinner.

------

Read and Review. :D


	3. Arguments and Settlements

A/n- Welcome back friends

**A/n- Lalala. I always forget to writeee. Review :)**

--

_Cause in his life he is filled  
With all these good intentions  
He's left a lot of things  
He'd rather not mention right now  
But just before he says goodnight,  
He looks up with a little smile at me_

(Be like that, 3 Doors Down)_  
_

Chapter 3- Arguments and Settlements

Saturday morning dawned on Draco in a number of odd ways. Firstly, he didn't even wake up to make breakfast; instead, he walked into the Great Hall hastily dressed halfway through lunch. The Slytherins glared at him awkwardly until he sat down, then laughed good naturedly and continued eating their sandwiches.

Secondly, he had woken up to the pecking of an owl on his bedroom window. Obviously, this had not made Draco happy whatsoever, and he had tried to ignore it for several minutes before finally surrendering and opening the window to allow the bird entrance. The letter was from Professor Slughorn, who was referring him as Captain of the Quidditch team. He had smiled at that, but then gave a defeated look when he realized he had to hold trials now.

Now, down at lunch, he stood up to address the Slytherin students.

"Listen up. Everyone over first year, quidditch trials will held this afternoon at 3. I'm captain, and I need some chasers to step up. We're missing all three chasers this year, but we're still testing out any keepers or beaters. I'm seeker, so that position isn't available." Draco smirked, and sat back down. There was excited whispering all around the table, people contemplating whether they would try not.

Theodore Nott turned to Draco, a grin spread on his face.

"I think I'm going to try out this year," he said hurriedly, tossing back a glass of pumpkin juice into his mouth. He swallowed quickly and glared at Draco eagerly. Draco nodded between bites of chicken.

"I've never seen you play. You any good?"

"Oh I play at home, you know, in the backyard. My dad used to play Chaser."

"Well you better be fucking decent, Merlin knows we need a good team this year."

"Cheers to that mate."

--

Around 2:30, Draco headed down to the pitch, followed by a group of giggly girls, skulking behind him and watching him in his uniform. He eyes them warily and then picked up his pace, forcing them to trip on roots and rocks on the way down to the stadium. In front of the changing rooms was a small group of players, maybe around 20 or 30, looking to tryout. Draco smirked at then and waved them over to the actually pitch.

"Let's get this started, shall we? I want a group of Chasers here, Keepers there, and Beaters over there. Ouch, watch it," he shouted, trying to direct people in the correct direction and avoid being trodden on.

"Alright, let's see. I need the Keepers to go up one at a time. All the Chasers will rotate through, two shots each, and then we'll switch keepers. Chasers, line up orderly. Same with the Keepers. Don't bloody push each other; you'll all get a fair shot."

The beginning of the trials went pretty badly. The first Keeper was absolutely horrendous. Draco dismissed him as soon as he hit the ground. Because of this, he still wasn't sure what Chasers were barely decent, considering the Keeper missed every shot. After that, we had two fair Keepers, and then an excellent one.

The Chasers overall flew pretty well. Todd Nott turned out to be quite a pick; Draco didn't understand why he hadn't tried out before. Nott would definitely be leading the team's Chasers this year. He also found a potentially good girl Chaser, who had a Firebolt, which would definitely be beneficial. After her, he chose a third year boy who was already about Draco's size, and would be good at stealing the Quaffle.

"Alright. I've made some decisions. For the Chasers, I picked Todd Nott, Marissa Leech, and Marcus Trek. For the Keeper, it's going to be Tommy Knight. Everyone else, sorry but you don't cut it. Try out next year."

After this there were some grumbling and complaining, and the denied players trekked off the field in need of a shower and a hot meal.

"Okay you guys. Get up there and start flying around. Chasers, try to score on Tommy. I'm going to fly around and watch. All the Beaters, release the bludgers and two of you at a time start trying to hit the Chasers. When I blow my whistle, the next set goes on and tries. Let's go."

Draco flew around and watched as the Beaters attempted to hit the zooming Chasers as they scored goals. Crabbe and Goyle were both trying out, and Draco was tempted to just give the idiots the two spots so he could go have a meal. After all was said and done however, they turned out to be the only talent available in the Beater pool.

"Crabbe and Goyle, you're the Beaters this year again. The rest of you, clear off. Team, gather around quickly." Draco shivered as an icy wind blew off the lake, and he pulled him quidditch robes closer to his thin body.

"Okay Team. This is the year for a Slytherin victory. The Gryffindors have had it too many years in a row now. It's time that the cup is back in Slytherin possession!" At this, the team scowled and cheered. "Good. I'll be letting you all know within the week when our first real practice is. Rest up."

With that, the team cleared off. Crabbe and Goyle followed in Draco's wake as he headed up towards the castle, in need a steamy shower and then a real good meal, followed by some much needed rest by the fire. He was desperately hoping Hermione would be busy with her little Gryffindork friends; he wasn't in the mood for yet another argument to interrupt his state of mind.

After his shower, he headed down to dinner, where he managed yet again to avoid Pansy and her giggling group of friends. Before they could reappear, he headed back to his dormitory.

"Oh, you again," he greeted Hermione as he entered the common room, where she was sitting and, of course, reading a book. She looked up and scowled but said nothing in response, but went back to reading. Then a moment later, she seemed to rethink this and turned back to face him.

"Malfoy." Her voice was cold and direct.

"Mmm?" he said, uninterested.

"I'd just like to warn you that Ron is coming over in a little while. We're going to spend some together and we'd rather thought that we'd want to be alone, away from the commotion in the common room."

"We had a deal Granger. None of your fag friends are allowed in our common room."

"The deal was I couldn't give the password to my friends, and they couldn't go near your room. So, I'm letting him in when he knocks, and we'll be in my room only."

"Smart ass bitch," he grumbled, heading for the stairs to his room.

"Don't you talk to me like that," she scolded, and Draco rounded on her.

"You are not my mother, Granger, thank Merlin, or I wouldn't be this good looking. No one, especially you, tells me what to do. Is that clear? And don't be fucking loud; I don't want to know what's going on in your room with Carrot top."

He stomped off angrily. Hermione sighed and headed back to her book.

--

After Ron left that night, Draco had a quiet evening. Hermione had wanted to study, so Ron had headed back to the Gryffindor common room before nine. Draco sat by the fire and drew casually, just sketching the outline of the fire and eventually adding finer details. Hermione was immersed in the Defense Against the Dark Arts book.

Soon after, Draco pulled his own book towards him and began reading after setting down his sketch pad on the table and curling up into a ball. Across from him, Hermione peered over at his drawing and gasped in astonishment.

"What Granger, have you seen a spider?" he drawled lazily, looking at her shocked expression.

"You can draw?" she asked curiously, picking up the drawing to examine it. Draco snatched it from her hands.

"Don't do that, you'll smudge it," he snapped, glancing over the paper to see if any of his work had become blurred. Satisfied that nothing had befouled it, he looked back at Hermione, who was staring at him with her mouth half way open.

"What Granger?"

"You're an amazing artist. Since when?"

"I don't know, since I was a little kid. What's it to you?" he replied nastily.

"I was just asking, Malfoy. That's really good work," she praised. He sneered and flipped the cover over it, shoving it into his bag.

"Just, don't pry into my shit, okay?" he answered, and she gave him a hurt expression for a half a second before turning away.

"Fine."

It was quiet for a few more minutes except for the turning of pages and Hermione's foot tapping obnoxiously against the side of the armchair. Draco bit his lip as he read through the most boring book ever, and eventually put it down on the table and stretched. Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was getting close to eleven, and he was tired from trials today. He got up.

"Where's your hoe?" Hermione commented as he stepped towards his dormitory door.

"Excuse me?" he asked sharply, stopped in front of the staircase.

"Where's Pansy?" she spat on vengefully. Draco chuckled and headed back to where she was sitting.

"I have no clue, and don't particularly care. Probably fawning over some picture of me in her bedroom."

"That's disgusting you know, how you treat girls," she replied.

"How I treat girls? How is that any of your business, know-it-all? It's not. I treat Pansy just fine, thank you for your concern. I don't need lip from the Pansy pity parade."

"You barely even see her, do you? I feel bad for her, and I don't even like her!"

"Yeah, well, you don't need to feel bad. I don't have any feelings for the girl. I'm not going to lie to some girl and treat her right and give her everything when I should be… I don't know, saving it for someone who I think is fucking deserving!" Draco shouted, and then bit his lip. He had never shared these thoughts to anyone. He had never even written them down in a journal or a scrap piece of paper, but here he was, yelling them to someone who hated him, just as he hated her. He bit back further words.

"So why are you with her? So you can… shag her and leave her to cry?"

"That's the plan," he responded, the cold malice in his voice back. She looked disgusted and turned away from him immediately.

"Why do you even care?" he shot at her, determined to leave this fight the winner.

"I don't, I was just wondering." She shrugged quickly and went back to reading.

"Granger, what did I say about butting into my business?" he growled angrily.

"I didn't get into your business. You're the one who just… went off on a tangent about your bloody romantic aspirations." She seemed very content with knowing about his personal life, somehow.

"Yeah well… if you repeat that to anyone, I will hunt you down and…and… Just don't," he finished lamely.

"Whatever Malfoy. Just bugger off."

Draco stormed off to his room, flustered and red in the cheeks. He never emotionally exposed himself. It wasn't the way a Malfoy was supposed to be presented. He threw his books onto his bedroom floor and slammed the door, beginning to pace nervously. He chewed at his short fingernails as he went over the conversation in his head.

"She's wrong… I'm not a bad person," he muttered under his breath. Then he felt stupid for even letting her words bother him. He never thought about his actions, or considered himself a bad person. No, either way, he was right, and she was wrong.

"Now I'm being goddamn arrogant. Damn it."

"You're also talking to yourself," Hermione's voice said, and Draco wheeled around to see her leaning against the doorframe, smirking.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM GRANGER!" he bellowed, shoving her out of the empty doorway and attempting to close the door, but she pushed it open again with surprising strength. He growled and gave up, putting his hands in his pockets and beginning to pace again.

"I just came to remind you that it's our night to patrol tomorrow night. So you probably don't want to have Quidditch practice tomorrow."

"Isn't that peachy. Thank you Granger," he spat, looking at her pensively for a moment.

"I'm going to bed."

"Thanks for the image," he replied sarcastically, and she rolled her eyes.

"Again, way too much information. Night."

Draco scowled at the fact that she always seemed to get the last insult in, but Hermione had already tramped out of his room, leaving him alone with his fists clenched angrily. He paced for a few minutes, knowing the information he had let slip could kill his reputation. Not to mention, if Hermione decided to spill to Pansy, he'd have to deal with her mood swings in the morning. He grumbled a lot as he stripped down to boxers and got into bed, putting out the candle.

When he woke in the morning, all feelings of anger and remorse had left him. Draco found it much easier to ignore emotions as much as possible, because all they ever did was get people hurt. With nothing on his mind but having a relaxing day, he got changed into baggy blue jeans and a tight white t-shirt. Shivering, he added an off-white sweatshirt and seemed satisfied.

For some reason, he was in a pleasant mood. Being chipper, he hopped down a few steps, twirling his wand in his fingers and entering the common room with a smile on his features. Glancing at his watch, he realized he was up much earlier than normal, especially since there were no classes today. Upon entering the room, he noticed that Hermione was either still sleeping or had gone off somewhere.

Looking about, Draco decided the common room needed some cleaning. Using his wand, he cleaned out the fire grate, dusted the book shelves, straightened up the desks, chairs, and tables, and organized his books as well as Hermione's. When he was finished this, he sat down on the comfortable leather couch and pulled his homework towards him, finished in less than twenty minutes. Satisfied, he was about to get up when he heard the echo of shoes on stone, coming closer.

Hermione entered the common room slowly, looking wide awake. Her hair was wet and curly, so she must have taken a shower beforehand. She wore a smile on her face and her wand was tucked into her back pocket of light blue jeans, countered nicely with a black tank top. When she saw Draco, she narrowed her eyes and her eyes swept over the common room.

"Did the elves come to clean?" she asked, figuring they must have arrived during the night while the two students slept.

"Good morning to you, too. And no, I did it."

"Er… morning? Why are you so chipper? You know how to clean?"

Draco scowled. "I'm not completely useless, Granger. I cleaned it myself, with magic, just as I do at home often times. And since when is it a crime to be, what did you say? Oh, chipper."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and then gave him a weird look. "Normally you're a prick, that's why."

Draco shrugged his shoulders, heading for the door. "Well, I would take advantage of it if I were you. I'm not nice often."

"You'd think I'd noticed after 6 years of your attitude."

"Don't start with me Granger," he snapped at her, turning around to face her again. "Now, I'm being nice to you. Isn't that what you wanted? Merlin, you girls are so difficult to bloody please."

Hermione sighed, contentedly it seemed, and walked briskly by him. "Whatever you say, Malfoy. See you tonight."

Draco sneered at her and stormed past her and down to breakfast.

--

"Malfoy?" Hermione called out, entering the common room, seemingly angry. Draco turned his head away from his book and looked at her, realizing he was correct. She was indeed angry.

"Yes, Granger? Must you interrupt my peaceful reading time? We had such a good day today."

"Yes, that's all peachy Malfoy, but seriously, we have to patrol tonight! I reminded you last night, and this afternoon at lunch. We were supposed to be in McGonagall's office ten minutes ago, and you never showed!"

Draco sighed, running his hands through his blonde hair. He had completely forgotten, of course, being so wrapped up in his book. Placing the book on the table, Draco stood up, fixing his robes, and faced Hermione again, who had her hand on her hip. Holding back a laugh, Draco strutted by her and exited the common room.

The first few minutes patrolling the corridors passed by uneventfully, as Hermione was angry at Draco for making her look bad in front of a Professor, and Draco was uninterested in talking about it. Hermione seemed to think he had a problem with tardiness, but in reality, Draco just didn't care all too much, and her lecturing wasn't making him care anymore than he already did. Eventually, Hermione stopped rambling and cursing at him and just walked in silence. Draco severely hated silence, but he wasn't much in the mood for small talk with someone who despised him more so at the moment than normally.

"So…" Draco said, breaking the silence after about a half hour or so. They needed to patrol from nine to twelve, so they really needed something to pass the time. Fortunately, they had been only assigned two floors, so the walking wasn't as difficult as it normally was for the prefects. The younger prefects often got stuck doing four floors or more at a time, so they were rushing about and out of breath.

"What?" Hermione snapped, glaring at him.

"I don't like the quiet. It's unnerving."

"Well, I don't care to talk to you at the moment. You got me in trouble."

"Cry me a river," he mumbled, and the talking ceased.

Another half hour passed with no sounds but the clicking of Draco's boots on the flagstones, and Hermione's occasionally overdramatic sighs. Being early in the year, not many students had taken to trying to sneak out of bed just yet, so it was, so far, an uneventful night of patrolling. In reality, Draco had a feeling they wouldn't see anything interesting or suspicious the whole night, which meant he would be stuck in silence for another two hours.

He cleared his throat.

"Maybe you should apologize," Hermione suggested, and Draco gave her an incredulous look.

"For what?"

"I don't know… making us late for patrolling and also making us look bad in front of a teacher."

"You know, Granger, you ought to care less about school and more about living your life. You're not going to get anywhere socially with that type of attitude."

"I've been doing just fine, thanks," she commented, and Draco shrugged.

"I hardly call dating Weasley 'doing just fine', but if that's your preference…" he trailed off, smirking.

"Because shagging Pansy is so much better, right?"

"I thought we had a deal, mudblood." He had stopped and drawn his wand, and was towering over her. She didn't move, but her hand flew to her pocket to get a grip on her wand as well.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry… stop pointing that at me."

"Is that what you say to Ron?" he said, a smirk very clear on his features. When he looked over, Hermione was blushing a deep red.

"I'd prefer that you didn't talk about me and Ron," she said quietly, looking away from Draco. His face fell for a second, and then he shrugged, laughing a bit.

"Your business," he stated. The conversation ended there, and although Draco was in a good mood, he still couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his brain. For some reason, he felt like he should be making conversation with Granger, even though the two hated each other. It wasn't as if he wanted to get along with her, but deep down he knew that this year would be long and painful if neither student changed their attitudes towards each other.

He decided to ignore it, since there was nothing that could be done. He didn't like Granger, and she didn't like him. It would always be this way, and he knew it. It wasn't as if suddenly the two would start getting along or anything.

The time passed slowly, but neither decided to speak to one another. The situation was tense and Draco felt as if his brain was fogging up from boredom. With a few minutes left in their patrolling session, they turned towards their common room and headed in that general direction. Draco headed up the staircase, jumping the trick stair like always and continuing. He heard a scream.

Looking back, he saw that Hermione had gotten herself trapped in the missing stair, which older students knew to jump. Especially for the Heads, since they went this way everyday, it was second nature to skip the step without even thinking about it. In her tired state, however, Hermione had gotten her entire leg lodged in the stair.

She tried to pull herself out of it, but she just sunk down lower and cried out for help. Draco hopped down a few steps so he could grab her before her whole body fell through it and onto the ground floor below. Tugging at her arms, Draco managed to easily lift Hermione up and place her on a safe staircase.

"Er… thanks Malfoy."

Draco straightened up and took his hands off of her body slowly, not realizing they had been so close to her. He sneered and wiped his hands on his robes, as if something nasty had gotten on them.

"Your welcome… just don't be so stupid next time."

Hermione's face fell into a frown and she bustled past him, heading for the common room door at the top of the staircase. Glancing at his watch, Draco realized it was time to head back and get some sleep before classes the next morning. Sighing, he made it to the portrait door, which slammed shut right in his face. Angrily, he opened it, but Granger had gone to bed.

--

**A/n- Reviews? I'm writing more right now as well :**


	4. Cycle

**A/n- I'm on a writing spree! **

--

_In a trapped trip I can't grip  
never thought I'd be the one who'd slip  
then I started to realize  
I was living one big lie_

(She hates me, Puddle of Mudd)

Chapter 4- Cycle

Draco was beginning to severely despise school all together. His classes were becoming increasingly difficult, and if that wasn't enough, his homework load was unbearable. Between patrolling with Hermione, Head duties, Quidditch and schoolwork, he barely slept or had any time to himself. On average, he spent about 5 hours asleep per night, which was not anywhere near the amount he required to be a functioning human being.

Even the weekends were no longer enjoyable to Draco. Because of homework and studying, he spent the entire weekend either in the common room working or in the library, poring over books, charts and whatever else was assigned. All of the seventh years were feeling the strain, but he and Hermione were sharing the pain equally.

Although Hermione didn't play Quidditch, she spent that time normally with Ron, since she had no other time to spend with at all. Draco basically ignored Pansy now, and only saw her in some classes as well as meals, but often times Draco skipped dinner or lunch and got something from the kitchens later. Even though Pansy took this as an insult, Draco had heard she was hooking up with someone else now anyways.

The first weekend of October found Draco relaxing for the first time in weeks. He had managed to complete his homework on Saturday, and had called off practice for the day because he severely needed a nap. He was stripping out of his clothes and down to boxers when Hermione called him from downstairs.

Sighing, he hopped down the stone steps barefoot and peeked around the door to where Hermione was standing, next to Pansy.

"You have a visitor," she said simply, and sat back down on the sofa. Draco gave Pansy a weird face but headed back upstairs, figuring she would follow him. When he reached the landing, Pansy had caught up and was giving him a weird look.

"Have you been ignoring me?" she asked in a huffy tone. She crossed her arms across her chest.

"No, I've been busy."

"Too busy for your girlfriend?"

"Yes, too busy for my girlfriend. And from what I've heard, you've been getting busy as well," he said snappily, lounging on his bed.

"That's not true."

"You're a horrible liar, Pansy."

"Well, whatever. It's not like you were doing anything about keeping me satisfied."

"I already told you, I had things to do. Either way, I wouldn't be keeping you satisfied even if I didn't have things to do."

"What are you saying?" she asked slowly, a frown on her face.

"I'm saying, we're over. I'm… bored with you."

Pansy's face fell into a pout and she stomped her foot. Draco smirked and looked away, not wanting to see this temper tantrum.

"You're breaking up with me?"

"Correction: I just broke up with you. Now get out."

Pansy burst into overdramatic tears and sobs and ran out of his room and slammed the door. Draco shook his head and rolled his eyes to no one in particular. Hermione would probably be grateful that he just did Pansy a favor. Now she could sleep with whomever she pleased, and it wouldn't be on Draco's head that he using her. Not that he really cared.

Grabbing a shirt, he decided he would read instead of sleep. Last night he had gotten more than enough sleep, so he could afford to waste some leisure time being lazy and reading. Tonight, he and Hermione had switched their patrol shift so they could both get some well needed rest anyways. This weekend was shaping up to be a bit more relaxing than most.

Draco went down to the common room, where Hermione was studying with an amused expression on her face. Draco raised his eyebrows but grabbed his novel off of the table and sat in his favorite chair. Hermione straightened up and put down her Charms book and turned to him. Draco looked over the pages to stare at her, and she smiled.

"Well, that was interesting."

"Did you hear?"

"More or less, yes. I got the idea when she ran out of your room and almost smacked into the portrait, she was crying so hard. I guess you're not good at letting people down easily."

"Not my strong suit. I'm not the boyfriend type, Granger, as you can see."

"Clearly. At least you provided interesting entertainment."

"Well, I'm glad you think so." He leaned back in his chair and stretched out, sighing, very content. "It feels good to relax."

"Yes, it does. Especially away from Ron," she said, and then shut her mouth as if she had said something she hadn't meant to slip out. Draco straightened up, his expression bemused.

"Problems with Weasel?"

"That's… er… not the… it's none of your business," she finished lamely.

"Really now? You just listened to me break up with Pansy. I feel you should dish your own issues."

"He's just being clingy," she stated, and looked back at her book.

"He should date Pansy then, honestly, they'd be great together."

"I don't think Ron prefers tramps, however."

Draco laughed. "So he prefers prudes?"

Hermione looked away from her book and narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"I was just merely stating that Ron clearly isn't in it for the shag if he's dating you, is he?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked bitterly, closing the book with a snap. Draco widened his eyes as if he was afraid, opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. He gaped at her for a moment.

"Er….uh…" he sputtered, trying to find himself.

"My sexual life with Ron is none of your business," she stated clearly.

"So you _are _a prude. Got it." Content with his reaction that he got from Hermione, he opened his book once again and was trying to read before she yanked the book from his grasp and threw it across the room. Enraged, Draco stood up to face her, and she had to look up at him to even meet his gaze.

"Don't say things like that about me. You have no clue what you're talking about!"

"Oh, look at you. What do you have to give?" he spit out, grinning maliciously. Hermione was too shocked for words, and she backed up, grabbing her books and headed to her door.

"Malfoy, you honestly are the biggest prick I've ever met," she shouted, before slamming her door closed. Satisfied, Draco sat down in his chair and spent the afternoon quietly reading, with no interruptions.

--

"Honestly Ronald, he happens to be the most annoying person I've ever met. I don't know how anyone puts up with him! Everything I say, he has a comeback to. There's no getting rid of him either. He always has to have the last word," Hermione ranted to Ron while leaving the Great Hall the next morning.

Draco's housemates turned to look at him, some of them giving him high fives. The couple had clearly been making it obvious that they wanted Draco to hear, and this annoyed him a bit. He pushed his plate away from him and got up, ignoring everyone's calls out to him. He followed the two until they got to Potions, which Weasley wasn't in.

Waiting until Ron walked away, Draco rounded on Hermione, grabbing her by the sleeve and forcing her to look at him. She backed up a step and grabbed his hand, forcing him to let go. He grimaced at her, his teeth showing under his pink lips; angry.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply, looking at the floor.

"What the bloody hell was that back there?"

"I was telling my boy-"

"I know what you were doing," Draco replied, cutting her off rudely. "And I don't appreciate it. We're never going to get along if you run and tell your stupid red-haired boyfriend everything that happens between the two of us."

"Well maybe if you weren't so foul to me-"

"I am not foul to you at all," he added, cutting her off once again. "I'm simply myself."

"Well, Draco," she spat, "Maybe you ought to change."

Draco paused, about to say something, and then looked at Hermione oddly.

"Did you just call me Draco?" he asked, incredulously.

Hermione looked at him in horror and shook her head. "Accidentally, of course. Get out of the way, ferret."

She stormed by him and into the Potions classroom. Draco stood there, dumbstruck for a second, and then gathered himself and headed into the classroom. The only seat available was on the left side of Hermione, of course, so he sat down next to her grumpily and looked away.

"You must be kidding me," he grumbled, and Hermione turned away from Harry to look at him for a moment, and then back at Harry.

"Alright, alright, settle down. We're going to be working in partners today on this potion, and it must be completed by the end of the class period. I'll expect one sample from each group, and it better be done correctly," Professor Slughorn said, and extracted a piece of parchment from his pocket.

"Partners are as follows: Harry Potter with Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson with Theodore Nott, Hannah Abbot with Ernie MacMillian, Padma Patil with Justin Finch Fletchly, and Draco Malfoy with Hermione Granger. One table per group. Get started."

Draco groaned as Harry got up to go sit with Blaise at another table, and Hermione turned to him. He looked away from her and went t get the ingredients, of which were written on the board already. He headed back to the table and set them down, and he and Hermione began to work on the complicated assignment.

"Malfoy, you're cutting the roots too thick. They need to be thinner sliced," Hermione pointed out, and Draco doubled back to cut them thinner as she suggested.

"Thanks. You need to put the knife closer, here, to skin that more effectively," he countered, showing Hermione the proper way. She smiled back at him and finished as he had showed her.

After they were finished, the potion brewed correctly, it turned a purple color, as it should, and both students relaxed, sighing in relief. Draco reached over for the ladle, to get a sample, but Hermione did so just at the same time. His hand froze on top of hers for a second, and then he whisked it away, allowing her to grab the ladle and pour a sample of their potion into a vial.

She acted as though the touch hadn't happened at all, and got up to hand in the potion sample to Slughorn, who looked pleased and gave Draco a smile as Hermione turned back to him. He nodded his head and began packing up all of his things that they had used, still not looking at Hermione.

--

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked him at dinner, and Draco nodded and shrugged, swallowing a piece of chicken. He said nothing, so Blaise dropped the subject and got up from the table, then seemed to change his mind.

He looked awkward for a second, as though he had something to say, and then took a deep breath, staring at Draco. Swallowing, Draco pushed his plate away and turned to face his best friend, who definitely had something on his mind that he needed to talk about, and fast.

"What's up, mate? You look like you're choking on something."

"I… um… I gotta tell you something."

"Spit it out, then."

"You know, um, how Todd told you about Pansy cheating on you?"

"Sure, I know. I broke up with anyways, mate, you're too late."

"No, no, I mean to say… er… It was me, who she, erm… cheated on you with," he said, very slowly, and then gulped. Blaise looked as if he was getting ready to run in the opposite direction in fear.

Draco laughed out loud. "Whatever mate, it's your problem that you're getting yourself into. I have to go, though. Patrolling tonight and I need to get homework over with."

Blaise hesitated. "So you aren't angry?"

"No. Why would I be?"

Blaise shook his head and chuckled weakly, getting up. "Just wanted to make sure."

Draco shook his head and headed out of the Great Hall and up to the common room, where he had a stack of books and homework with his name on it. Sighing, he pushed open the portrait door and walked in, and then stopped. He had walked straight into a make-out scene of Hermione and Ron.

He coughed and Hermione jumped a mile, falling off of Ron, who turned very red, and standing up, fixing her robes awkwardly and trying to hide her pink cheeks. Ron sat up, his ears burning red as his hair, and got to his feet as well, mumbling to himself. Hermione was straightening the couch cushions, and Ron was attempting to flatten his hair.

"Sorry to bother you," he sneered, and laughed at Hermione's expression, which looked horrified. He walked over, brushing past Hermione gently, and picked up his book bag, which was decently heavy. He waved cheerily to Hermione and went upstairs, intent on getting all of this done.

There was a knock on his door a few hours later, and Hermione edged her way in without letting Draco respond. His book lay on the ground, his homework being done, and he had just been admiring his broom and cleaning it up a bit before next weekend's match. She took all of this in and then opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Hermione said stiffly, and Draco shrugged.

"Just bring it upstairs to your room next time, alright?" he suggested, still disgusted by what he had seen.

"I didn't think anything was going to happen. We were just talking."

"No boy ever wants to just talk with you, alone, in your common room that you share with only one person, who was eating dinner…"

"I get the point. I said sorry, okay. Obviously, I wouldn't want to see you and… Merlin-knows-who on the couch either."

"Understood. Apology accepted. Get out."

"We have to go now Draco."

"Why in Merlin's beard do you have to call me by that name?"

"Well, it is your name, isn't it?" she countered, and Draco shrugged and got off the bed, grabbing his wand and pulling a sweatshirt on over his head. It was often quite cold in the castle at night.

"You don't see me calling you Hermione, do you?"

"Maybe it would be more appropriate if you did."

"Perhaps," he said indifferently, walking past her and down the stairs, hearing her footsteps behind him. They headed out to patrol, the corridors already quiet and undisturbed.

"You know what I think?" Hermione asked after a few minutes of silence, in which Draco spent trying to erase the image from this afternoon from his brain.

"What Gra- Hermione?"

"I think you're a lot nicer than you let on."

"Excuse me?"

"I think, deep down, you're a teddy bear. Quite the softie."

"You know what I think? You're mental, and a wishful thinker."

"Say what you want, Draco, but everyone has a soft side," she replied in a sing-song voice.

Draco scowled and said nothing, although he knew that she could see through him. He may have a tough exterior, but deep down, he was a deep and caring person. He was just waiting for the right person to expose that side of him too.

"Maybe you're right. But no one sees that side of me but my mother," he stated, and then scowled again. She seemed to trick him out of person information a lot. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Trick me into saying personal things. I don't like to share my feelings, Granger."

"Maybe you just need someone to share them with," she hinted, and then smiled devilishly.

"Perhaps," was all he said back. The conversation died until they headed into the common room, when Hermione decided to speak again, this time, in a nice, not mocking, tone.

"Truce, Draco? I think you need a friend more than you're willing to admit."

"How can I be your friend? I hate you," he said simply, although he didn't know if that was true or not anymore. Truth be told, he felt that they had let some of their anger and hatred for each other die slowly the past few weeks.

"You don't hate me, I don't think anymore."

"Fine. Friends," he said, extending his hand to her. They shook on it, and Draco went to bed with his head swimming.

--

**A/n- Reviews are sweet.**


	5. Sensible

A/n- I'm busting these out while the creative juices are flowing

**A/n- I'm busting these out while the creative juices are flowing. Enjoy. Review.**

--

_I've never felt alone 'till I met you  
I'm all right on my own and then I met you  
And I'd know what to do if I just knew what's coming  
I would change myself if I could  
I'd walk with my people if I could find them  
And I'd say that I'm sorry to you  
I'm sorry to you_

(Deep Inside of You, Third Eye Blind)

Chapter 5- Sensible

For friends, Hermione and Draco rarely showed their friendly natures towards each other, most especially in front of others. In fact, other than inside the privacy of their own common room, the two acted openly hostile to each other. Draco felt the whole thing was overdone, but he counted help it. He had such a nasty temper, and Hermione knew the exact ways to get under his skin and piss him off.

"You know what mate?" Blaise asked Draco, after he and Hermione had got into a heated argument in front of an entire crowd. Draco had been victorious, and Hermione had stormed off with Ron, so Draco knew the two wouldn't be speaking tonight.

"What?" Draco asked, still angry with himself. Deep inside, he was fighting to control his temper. Hermione had proved to be an interestingly good friend; they did their homework together, studied together, and once and awhile, talked. Draco hated to admit it, but the two, when getting along, worked well together, and Hermione also gave fabulous advice, and was a great comforter.

"You and Granger fight like a married couple," the Slytherin boy pointed out, and Draco smirked then scowled at Blaise.

"Don't entertain that in your mind, Blaise. She's just insufferable."

"You're a bit touchy today, aren't you?" Blaise asked, and Draco rounded on him.

"I'm just nervous about the Quidditch game tomorrow, alright? Back off," he shouted, pushing Blaise's shoulders away from him and storming off in a fury.

He headed back to the common room in a rage, now upset with himself that he had made Hermione and Blaise angry. Slamming the portrait door open, he walked into the room, ignored Hermione, and threw his book bag on the ground. Hermione looked up and averted her eyes.

"What's your problem?" she asked carefully, knowing how his temper could be.

"Nothing, forget about it," he snapped, dragging parchment and ink towards him, pulling a quill from his pocket, and starting his essay. He had only wrote a few lines for his Charms essay when he realized he was going to get nowhere on this, and it was due tomorrow. He struggled for a second to write another sentence, and ended up erasing it with his wand.

Leaning back against the chair, he put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. Looking up, he saw Hermione sliding her already written essay towards him. He looked up at her and she smiled lightly, eyes wandering down to the essay.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Don't mention it."

"So you're not angry?"

"Do you really care, or do you feel like you have to ask or I'll take the essay back?" she teased.

"A little of both," he admitted, his tongue between his teeth as he took ideas from Hermione's essay and incorporated them into his own words. Hermione very rarely allowed him to cheat off of her; not that he needed it, since he was very intelligent on his own.

"At least you're honest," she said, laughing.

Draco looked over to her, sitting on the armrest of his chair, and noticed for the first time that Hermione was very pretty. He had never thought of her in that way, of course, since they had always disliked each other. But, Draco couldn't deny it any longer; Hermione had filled out in all the right places. Her hair was tamed and in loose curls now, and although she was short, she was also thin, but with curves.

Embarrassed that he was staring, he looked back at his essay and finished the last sentence, very grateful for Hermione's help. Most likely, this Charms essay would have taken him the good part of the evening, and he wanted to get it done before tomorrow because he had Quidditch.

"Why were you staring at me?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Oh, I was just going to say thanks for the help."

"No problem," she answered, leaning past him to grab her essay back. On her way back up, Draco's hand shot out and grazed her face. He hadn't meant to do it, but it seemed like his body had a mind of its' own, and he wasn't thinking any longer.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, but didn't move. She seemed like she was frozen. He shushed her for a second and leaned in, and before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing her. The kiss was gentle and meaningless, but somehow, neither could pull away. After a few seconds, Draco realized what he was doing, and pushed away.

He coughed and got up, grabbing his books and heading towards his room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hermione sputtered, looking at him with a shocked expression on her face.

Draco froze. "To my room…"

"After you just… after that? What the hell was _that_?"

"_That_ was a mistake," he stated firmly, and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Whatever it was, I have a boyfriend."

"Whatever mudblood," he shot back, and then bit his lip. He had used the forbidden word, and now he was in for it.

Hermione's face went blank, and she seemed to be struggling to hold her temper back. Then, without warning, she screamed in rage, stomped over to the table and picked up his essay, ripping it into little pieces. Draco reached out his hand to stop her, but she set them on fire, turned on her heel, and walked straight out of the common room. Draco stood there in mute horror.

The next day was unbearable, since Hermione now refused to come anywhere near Draco at all. Draco had a bad feeling that she had told Ron what had happened, because he kept shooting him dirty looks whenever they passed each other in the corridors. On the bright side, Blaise had apparently forgiven his 'temper tantrum', and the two were speaking again. This was a good thing, because Draco needed his mood to improve before his game that evening.

After lunch, Draco headed back upstairs to the common room, where he knew Hermione was entertaining a small group of friends. He could go down to the Slytherin common room instead, but he didn't want to face Pansy and Blaise together as a couple. In the down time before the game, he figured he could draw or something.

He burst into the common room, his eyes speeding over the two couples on his couch; Hermione and Ron, and on an armchair, Harry and Ginny. He sneered at them, raising his eyebrows, and passed them to grab his sketchbook. No one said anything to him for a long moment, and Draco almost thought he was going to get away with it.

"Malfoy." It was Potter who spoke, and Draco turned around to face him. He hadn't gotten up, and Ginny was perched on his lap.

"Potter," he said casually, walking towards his door.

"Hold on. I think you owe Hermione an apology."

"Oh, you do, do you? And why is that?" he replied back smartly, opening the door to go upstairs to his room. He was not in the mood for small talk with the Boy-Who-Lived.

"I think we're all a little old for your bullshit Malfoy. As far as I've heard, you and Hermione have been on decent terms recently until this. An apology for what you called her is in order."

Harry was clearly a lot more mature than Draco had thought he was, and although Draco would never say it out loud, Draco believed the boy had a good point. Unfortunately, Draco wasn't willing to show the nicer side of himself to anyone really other than Hermione, so he simply sneered and said nothing to Harry.

"Sorry," he snapped at Hermione, and slammed his door closed before Harry had a chance to say anything else. He stayed in his room, drawing, until he was ready to go down to the game.

The first game of the season for Hogwarts was Slytherin versus Ravenclaw, which would be a decent match-up. The Ravenclaw Chasers were pretty good by Draco's standards, but they had failed to scrounge up a decent Seeker after Cho Chang left last year. That would make the job easier for Draco, but his Keeper and Chasers needed to step up immensely so he wouldn't have to save their asses.

With about twenty minutes left until the game starts, Draco called his team together in the locker room. He wasn't sure what to say, it being his first year being Captain and everything, but he cleared his voice, hoping to get the team motivated to do something.

"Alright guys. We can do this. We've trained pretty hard, we have faster brooms, and we have me," he finished, and the team all smirked at him. "Hands in men… and woman," he added, smiling sheepishly. They all pumped their fists up and walked out of the changing rooms.

Draco lived for the rush of the beginning, middle, and ending of a Quidditch match. When he stepped out onto the pitch, he felt all his problems melting away with the cheers of the Slytherins. He got onto his broom, a Firebolt, and took off into the sky, allowing the power of the broom direct him. After a minute of warming up, he flew above the circle that had developed in midair above the pitch.

"Captains, shake hands," was the command from Madam Hooch, and Draco flew forward and gripped hands with the Ravenclaw Captain.

"The Snitch is released… the bludgers are let loose… the Quaffle is up, and the game begins!" came the commentary, and Draco flew off after the snitch, but it had already disappeared. He made sure to keep his eyes peeled for any sight of the winged ball, and also to keep an eye on the Ravenclaw Seeker. His broom was faster, and hopefully he would have the edge even if their Seeker spotted the ball before he did.

As he flew around searching, he listened to the commentary and tried to keep on the game as well, since this was also his job.

"And Slytherin Chaser Nott has the Quaffle… Nott passes to Leech, a good find by Slytherin Captain Malfoy, back to Nott now, a 7th year and a new player but pretty good I'd say… Oh! Nott has dropped the ball; that was a bludger, and now Ravenclaw Chaser Jacobs has the ball, Jacobs dodges Nott and Leech and ow! That looked like it hurt. Anyways, Jacobs was victim to a good tackle by Markus Trek, and Slytherin has possession, Trek keeps a hold of the Quaffle, dodges two bludgers, shoots…. Scores!"

Draco pumped his fist when he heard that and gave a high five to Trek who passed by him. He waited with bated breath, not sure of the score.

"So, with that, Slytherin leads 50-40, close game." Draco smirked at that, glad that they were winning.

The game progressed quickly, with Slytherin managing to keep at least a ten point lead at a time, something more. Draco attempted to be all over the place at once, giving pointers and advice, and looking for the snitch at the same time. Out of the corner of his eye, he realized that he could see the snitch at the far end of the pitch. The other Seeker was over there, but hadn't seen it.

Draco took off; dodging a well placed bludger by Ravenclaw, and shot over to where the snitch was. As soon as he reached it, it took off in the other direction, and Draco had to barrel roll over and switch direction. Being lighter than most, he could do this quite easily without losing speed. By now, the other Seeker had noticed and was literally on his tail.

"And it looks as if Slytherin Captain Malfoy has spotted the snitch… the Ravenclaw Chaser is right behind him but he can't keep up with the Firebolt's acceleration."

Draco blocked out the rest of the commentary, urging his broom to go faster beneath him. He closed the gap between him and the snitch, and in a moment, it was all over. He snatched the snitch in his scraggly fingers and pulled his broom upwards, holding it above his head eagerly. His team was cheering and the entire Slytherin house had erupted in cheers.

"And Draco Malfoy has caught the snitch! Slytherin wins 250-70!"

Draco cheered along with the stands and his teammates, finally flying out of the mess of brooms and hands and faces to get a breath of fresh air and a view of all the cheering fans. Slytherin's set of bleachers were waving flags, banners, scarves, or anything that had green or silver on it. One kid was waving a sign that said 'Malfoy for Minister'. Draco laughed at that and looked away, towards the other stands.

None of the other students were cheering, especially Ravenclaw. It was hard to say who was more upset; Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Draco's eyes swam over the Gryffindor stands, and caught Hermione's eye. She was facing him and was holding Ron's hand, but she gave him a weak smile and a thumbs up.

Back inside, Draco headed to the Slytherin common room for some celebration. The entire house was there with cakes, cupcakes, truffles, pies, and Firewhiskey. Knowing he had to do homework tonight, he passed on the alcohol and chose instead to mingle with his housemates, whom he hadn't really spoken to all year.

In the Slytherin common room, Draco was treated like some sort of God on Earth. His housemates rushed around, offering their drinks or plates of food to him, tripping over their feet, and muttering congratulations. On top of that, the girls fawned over him. At one point, he was attempting to flirt with three girls at once, and he had already gotten rid of a group before them. In the end, he chose Pansy's friend Melana, and headed back to his room.

"Hey, come on… wanna see the Heads' common room?" he whispered to her, and she smiled devilishly and nodded. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

When he entered the common room, Hermione was sprawled out on the couch reaching a book, and she looked up eagerly when Draco walked in, leading Melana. Her face pulled into a sneer and she said nothing, choosing to ignore Draco completely. He said nothing but walked up his staircase to his room, Melana bouncing along behind him excitedly.

"You guys have it made in here, don't you?" Melana asked, and Draco smirked but shrugged him shoulders.

"It gets the job done, I suppose."

"I bet your bed is comfortable," she suggested, sitting on it.

"Exceptionally," he added, winking at her.

He leaned over and pulled the girl close, capturing her lips in a long, forceful kiss, and then let go. Melana looked dazzled for a moment, and then leaned back in and pushed Draco onto the bed so he was lying down, and climbed on top of him eagerly. Their tongues clashed and mixed together quickly, while Draco unbuttoned her shirt and she undid his pants. Draco smirked into her lips, knowing this was going to be an unforgettable night.

The next morning, Draco woke up groggily, glancing over and noticing that Melana had gone. He sighed and turned over, rolling out of bed and instinctively grabbing his boxers off the ground and putting them on. He headed into the bathroom and took a quick shower, and then got properly dressed into jeans and a white beater.

"Morning," he grunted to Hermione as he came downstairs, in definite need of food. Sitting on the coffee table was a bagel, pumpkin juice, eggs and bacon. Draco looked at it weirdly.

"You missed breakfast," Hermione said simply, turning back to her book.

"Why did you do this?" he asked, although not complaining at all as he took a big bite of eggs. He couldn't process why Hermione treated him so nicely when he was a complete ass to her.

"I didn't get a chance to congratulate you yesterday on your performance," she said, shrugging. "When you came back, you had a guest so I decided to hold my tongue…"

Draco swallowed his eggs and turned to his bacon. "That's nice of you," was all he said.

"I compliment you on your better selection this time," she replied, as if she was bored.

Draco laughed out loud, almost choking on his eggs. He quickly chewed and swallowed before turning to her again, his face amused. "Well, thank you. I thought so myself."

"Isn't that Pansy's best friend?"

Draco chuckled. "Yeah, isn't it perfect?"

"You're obnoxious," was her response.

"She won't tell Pansy. Melana doesn't sleep and tell."

"You would know, from experience?" she queried.

"Actually, I would, thank you."

"You're quite the man whore," she said, and Draco laughed again.

"Surely you know the rumors about me?" he asked, knowing that she had. Hermione turned her face away from him, going a bit red in the cheeks, as if she was embarrassed by his suggestion.

"I've… heard a few, yes," she replied, hesitantly.

"Mmm, I'm sure you're dying to know if they're true."

"Not so much."

"Well, then, what explains you kissing me yesterday?"

"I didn't… kiss you, you kissed me!"

"Whatever, you kissed back."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Not."

"Did."

"You're such a child," she said angrily, getting up. "You're lucky I didn't tell Ron."

"I'm lucky? No, he's lucky. He would have tried to do some sort of strange spell on me, and would have gotten his ass kicked."

"You're so full of it!" she screamed, storming out of the portrait.

"Thanks for the breakfast!" he called before the portrait slammed back on its hinges. Draco laughed.

--

That night in the common room, Draco and Hermione were busy doing their homework. The morning's fight had evaporated from either of their minds, thankfully for Draco, and they seemed to be getting along again. Draco had a question for Hermione, nagging at the back of his head, but he didn't want to voice it. But he was curious, and he was trying to better understand Hermione, whom he didn't really get all too well.

"Hermione?" he asked, and she looked up.

"Yes?"

"Why do you forgive me so easily?" he asked. "When I called you a mudblood, you acted so upset. I had to rewrite my Charms essay from scratch. And then the next morning, you bring me breakfast."

Hermione took a deep breath, still not looking fully at Draco, but rather observing the pattern of the carpet on the floor. She didn't seem to want to let it out, as if she was like Draco and hated to state her feelings. Draco had an inkling that this was actually the case, and they were more alike than he had originally perceived.

"I just feel that if we're going to get along, I have to look past certain things. For example, that you think that I'm lower than you because of my blood," she said, in a resigned manner.

"You're kidding me, right? You honestly don't think of yourself as lower than me, do you?"

She looked surprised. "I didn't say that. I don't think I'm lower. But you were brought up to think that, weren't you? So, I can't change the way you think. Only you can. I can only hope that as you get to know me, you don't think of me as a… mudblood, and more as a normal witch."

"You're deep."

"No, I'm sensible."

Draco opened his mouth to say something back to that, but decided not to.

"Yes, you are," was all he said, and Hermione smiled back at him in return.

--

**A/n- I really like this chapter, for some reason. Review :)**


	6. Drinks

A/n- To any of my loyal readers, I will be vacationing from July 19 – August 2

**A/n- To any of my loyal readers, I will be vacationing from July 19 – August 2. Never fear! You'll get an update while I'm gone, but only one (to last 2 weeks). But I have a lot written up already, so most likely we'll go back to one per day or every 2 days after that.**

**Anyways, reviews to keep me going!**

--

_I've got another confession my friend  
I'm no fool  
I'm getting tired of starting again  
Somewhere new  
Were you born to resist or be abused?  
I swear I'll never give in; I refuse_

(Best of You, Foo Fighters)

Chapter 6- Drinks

The weekend after Draco's quidditch match was set to be the student's first Hogsmeade weekend. All of the students from third year and above were bustling around, trying to find groups of friends to go with or someone to take on a date. Draco knew that he would end up third wheeling Blaise's date with Pansy if he didn't find someone to go with, so he had made up his mind to ask Melana at dinner that night.

Nerves never got the best of Draco Malfoy, which is why girls were so attracted to him. After he finished his kidney pie, he sauntered over to Melana, who was talking to a group of seventh year girls, and leaned sexily against the table. He put on his famous Malfoy smirk and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Hey Draco," she greeted, patting the seat beside her. Draco held up a hand, refusing her offer.

"Can't stay, I've got some stuff to handle upstairs," he said simply.

"Oh," Melana replied, seeming a little upset. She pushed around the corn on her plate, not looking at Draco at all. Her friends were giggling like crazy.

"Hey, don't look so upset," he whispered into her ear, dropping a kiss on her earlobe. He straightened up so her friends could hear. "I was just hoping you'd want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend."

Melana's cheeks went red and she dropped her fork. "Sure, I-I can do that. I mean, that'd be cool."

"Excellent. It's a date, then," he said, turning on his boot heel and strutting away. At the Gryffindor table, Hermione was just excusing herself as well. She walked quickly out of the double doors and ran to catch up with Draco, who was halfway up the first flight of stairs.

The two walked in silence for the entire trip back to the common room, although Draco wasn't exactly sure why Hermione was walking with him at all. Normally, in the corridors and around other students, they attempted to act as though they despised each other. Only a select few knew that Draco and Hermione were on better terms, namely, her friends and her friends only. Draco's friends and housemates merely assumed the two didn't get along, and Draco did nothing to change their minds of this.

When they entered the common room, Hermione put her books down and sat on the couch, and Draco did the same. She seemed to have something on her mind, but she wasn't asking it. Draco shrugged and rolled his eyes, drawing his book bag closer so he could complete the only assignment they had for the night; a Potions essay, due on Monday. Draco had decided that since he would be busy tomorrow with Hogsmeade and Quidditch practice Sunday, he should relieve himself early of all homework and studying distractions.

He quickly scrawled out some sentences for Potions, noticing Hermione was doing the same. It took him around an hour, but he managed to complete it. Hermione was re-reading hers when he put his quill down. He was struck with a sudden idea.

He handed her his essay, snatching hers from her hands. "Read mine, and I'll read yours."

Hermione shrugged but said nothing, reading over his work, and he hers. Her essay was by far better written than his, but he had all the basic information, and figured he could scrape out a good grade. She seemed to think the same thing, but gave him an encouraging smile anyway and handed it back.

"What'd you think?" Draco asked, sliding the parchment back into his bag.

"It was good," was all she said, and Draco looked at her weirdly.

"Something bothering you?"

"Ron's being a prat," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I can't stand his attitude towards me."

"His attitude? You can stand my attitude, but not his?"

"Because I expect it from you. He thinks he can order me around because I'm a girl, his _girlfriend_, and girls do nice things for their boyfriends. As if," she ranted, and Draco laughed.

"He's being a typical boy, you know that right?"

"Harry doesn't act like that. And you don't boss me around, do you?"

Draco thought that over. "I guess not. Maybe I should start." She smacked him. "Kidding, kidding. Talk to him about it, if it's really bothering you that much."

"I thought tomorrow I'd call him out on it, at Hogsmeade."

"Sounds like a plan. So you're going then?"

"Mhm. Which slag are you taking?"

"Melana, and she isn't a slag."

"Whatever you say," Hermione said, getting up from the couch. "See you in the morning."

"'Night," Draco replied, getting up and heading upstairs for a long rest.

--

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, but cold. Draco decided it'd be best to wear robes instead of Muggle clothes, so he chose a pair of bottle green robes and a black cloak. Fastening his cloak, he grinned and attached his Head Boy badge onto his robes so it stuck out nice. He used a charm to straighten his hair, and then smiled.

Draco strutted through the common room, waving delicately to Hermione, who was already ready and standing there with Ron, Harry and Ginny. The three others grimaced at him but said nothing, and Hermione greeted him quietly, receiving a glare from Ron in response. He met Melana downstairs in front of the common room, giving her a firm hug. She balanced on her tip toes and gave him a kiss on the lips, which he allowed, and the two set off for the village.

Hogsmeade had lost its' sentimental value to most of the seventh years by now, so many didn't actually go. Draco was supposed to be keeping an eye on the third years, who had never been before, but he decided the prefects could handle it. Melana took his pale hand in hers as they walked, and Draco's cheeks were tinged with red spots within minutes.

The couple made small talk as they walked, admiring the sights in all the shops and chatting with other Slytherins as they appeared. In Zonkos, Pansy gave Melana a death stare and ignored Draco completely. Melana found a problem with this, but said nothing to her best friend, which was something Draco respected her for. He didn't need girl drama in his life at the present time.

After they went to Zonkos, Melana dragged him to a wizarding clothes shop, where she bought a new top, and Draco sat on the chairs, bored. He didn't mind shopping, having gone with his mother so many times, but he felt the whole process was overdramatic with girls, especially when he was forced to critique about twenty different shirts.

Melana paid for the top, which was red, and then the two headed off to Honeydukes, which was where Draco had been dying to go in since coming to Hogwarts at the beginning of the term. Melana trailed him the whole time as he bought all his favorite sweets: Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Acid Pops, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whisbee, and Licorice Wands. Melana wanted a Sugar Quill for herself, so Draco paid for that as well, and received another kiss for it.

The couple was headed towards The Three Broomsticks when Draco spotted Hermione sitting on a bench alone, with her head in her hands. She definitely seemed upset, and possibly crying. As they got closer, Draco could hear her sniffling. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to Melana, who was tugging on his hand.

"I'll catch you up later, alright?" he stated, and she looked at Hermione.

"Oh… fine, then," she replied, and turned around angrily, heading back up to the castle. Draco rolled his eyes and plopped onto to the bench beside Hermione. She looked up.

"Hey," she said miserably, and Draco greeted her as well. "I thought you were on a date?"

"Yeah, well… I told her I'd see her later. She went back up to the castle."

"Why'd you do that?"

"You seemed upset over something," he replied, and she picked up her head to look at him. Her chocolate eyes were moistened with tears, and Draco used a pale finger to brush them away. She blinked away the rest.

"Yeah… Ron got pretty mad at me. He stormed off to look for Harry and Ginny," she explained, trying to wipe off the eyeliner that had run down her face.

"Oh. So I guess your talk didn't go so well?"

"Not at all. He says I need to appreciate him more. He's pretty ridiculous, to be honest…"

"Then why are you with him?"

"Are you seriously trying to lecture me on relationships?" she asked seriously, and Draco chuckled.

"I guess I'm not the greatest person to talk to then," he admitted, shrugging. He fixed his robes while he waited for her to speak, nervous for some reason.

"No, talking to you isn't all that bad," she stated, and Draco smiled at her. He stood up, brushing himself off and gave her a stern look.

"Want to go get a butterbeer with me?"

Hermione paused, and Draco was sure if she had been standing already, she would have needed to sit back down. She raised her eyebrows at him, and Draco barked with laughter. He found her shock amusing and flattering, since it was a common reaction that he got from girls. She shook her head, wiped her eyes once more, and stood.

"That would be… very nice," she responded, smiling at him.

"After you," he said, ushering her a few steps into the bar, which wasn't too crowded at all. Most of the older students went to other pubs now, being so bored with The Three Broomsticks, and the younger students were still exploring. In fact, it seemed as though Draco and Hermione were the only ones from Hogwarts in the entire pub.

Draco ordered their drinks and paid, being the gentleman as always. Hermione attempted to shove silver coins into his hand, but he vehemently refused, forcing her instead to sit in a booth with a window view, frosted up by the cold air. They each settled in slowly, getting comfortable in the booth seats, and sipping their butterbeer slowly, trying to look at anything but each other.

"So… are you alright now?" he asked awkwardly, not very good with dealing with emotions, since he was so used to ignoring his own.

"I'm alright, yes. I'd rather not talk about him though, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind. Weasley is not my favorite topic really at all," he replied, taking a long sip of his butterbeer before setting it on the table with a clunk. Hermione was glaring at him, but then cracked a smile.

"I was wondering if I could ask you something," she said simply, putting her bottle on the table too.

"Sure."

"It's a little personal."

Draco hesitated. "Go ahead, but if I don't like the question, I won't answer."

"Fair enough." She paused now, thinking deeply about something, perhaps how to phrase the question. Draco took a drink out of the bottle in the meantime, trying to imagine what she could possibly be asking of him. Finally, she spoke.

"Why aren't you a death eater, like your father?"

Draco was interested in Hermione's motive behind the question more so than anything else, but he did plan on answering. This was something he hadn't been expecting, but it was better than answering a prying question about his love life or anything of that sort. Hermione tended to only ask questions that were truly important to her to know, so Draco knew she had an ulterior motive.

"I'll only answer this question if you agree to tell me why you asked."

"Deal."

Draco thought hard. "I'm not a death eater for two reasons. One, my mother is very protective of me, and she's hesitant about putting me in danger. She thinks I'm too young to make these decisions on my own, even though I'm of age."

"And reason number two…?" she prodded.

Draco paused. "If you tell anyone about this, I swear to Merlin, Granger…" he threatened.

"I won't."

"I just… couldn't bring myself to kill someone over such a stupid thing as… blood supremacy. I may think I'm better than you, Hermione, but I wouldn't kill you over it."

Hermione nodded, interested. "You're a better person than I thought."

"Are you going to tell me why you asked?"

"Isn't it obvious? I like to bring out the nicer side of you, Draco," she said softly, looking out of the window. Draco cocked his head to the side but said nothing at all, not wanting to seem too soft for Hermione or anything.

"Can I ask you a question now?" he asked, and Hermione looked back at him, sipping her butterbeer.

"Fair enough."

Draco thought hard about this before speaking, deciding on how he wanted to ask this question. For one thing, he didn't want Hermione to take anything he said offensively or the wrong way. On the other hand, he didn't want to be overly nosy, or seem like he cared too much. He was still, after all, Draco Malfoy, and he had a reputation to uphold.

"Do you think I'm a different person when I'm with you?" he questioned, biting his lip, waiting for her answer. She seemed to weigh her answers in her head for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, definitely. Honestly, I truly believe I bring out a better side of you, Draco Malfoy. I don't know why, but there's something about me that gets to you, isn't there?"

Draco grimaced, not liking her accusations. What was she trying to play at, anyways? He snarled at her, looking out the window, and realized that Harry, Ron, and Ginny were walking in this direction. His eyes widened in alarm, but Hermione hadn't noticed yet. He decided that there was no making an escape now, and they might as well play it cool. He said nothing about it to Hermione.

"I suppose you could say that," he answered stiffly as the bell to the shop rang, signaling the arrival of the trio, shivering from the cold wind that had truly picked up.

Draco watched as they came into view, Harry chatting with Ron while holding Ginny's hair. Hermione stared at them in horror and tried to make herself as small as possible, glancing at Draco worriedly. He shrugged, not knowing what to do, and the two watched as Harry ordered drinks for his group and they turned to sit down.

Ginny caught Hermione's eye first, her face showing shock and then scanned over Draco's face. Draco smoothed his hair out of his eyes and took a drink from the bottle, trying to act nonchalant. Ginny had frozen in place and Harry, who noticed she wasn't keeping up, turned and saw Hermione too. Ron was the last to set eyes on the duo, and his face grew very red.

Ron marched over and Hermione stood up abruptly, swiftly setting her eyes on Draco and sweeping them back to her boyfriend, who was clenching his fist around his wand, which was now out and ready to be pointed at Draco. Hermione tried to soothe Ron but there was no stopping his anger. He whacked away her hands violently and walked right up to Draco.

"What are you doing with my girlfriend, Malfoy?" he practically shouted, attracting the attention of Madame Rosmerta as well as all of the customers. The entire pub glanced their way and then shyly turned back to their friends or dates, but each pair of eyes slowly trailed back.

Draco shrugged. "Buying her a drink." Hermione shot him an anxious look.

"Why is he buying you a drink, Hermione?" Ron demanded, rounding back on Hermione.

"I-we… he saw me outside, is all."

"He saw you outside, and then he bought you a drink?" he asked stupidly. Draco had had enough. He stood up, and even though Ron was tall, Draco matched his height perfectly.

"That's what she said Weasley. Can you hear or not? I saw her outside the pub, crying, and asked her if she wanted a drink inside. Maybe if you hadn't left her all alone, you wouldn't be having this problem right now."

"Since when is my personal life any of your business?" Ron sputtered, his wand going up to eye level.

"Since you started treating your girlfriend like this. Honestly, Weaslebee, open up your damn eyes. If there wasn't a problem, Hermione wouldn't have to be telling me about it," he said calmly, shoving Ron back.

Draco definitely didn't want to hear this. Hermione shot him a half-smile, but he didn't return it. He left some change on the table for the bar maid who had served their drinks, grabbed his bottle, and stormed out of The Three Broomsticks. The wind hit him angrily, and he wrapped his cloak around him tightly. He could hear Ron shouting at Hermione back in the pub, but he didn't look back. Instead, he put his head down and battled his way against the wind back up to the castle.

--

**A/n- Another chapter gone. I liked the plot more in this chapter, I felt something really happened. I don't know. You tell me what you thought in a review!**


	7. A Change

A/n- This is your last chapter before I go away

**A/n- This is your last chapter before I go away. I'll most likely be posting one sometime by the 25****th****, and after that, you'll have to wait until I get home. Happy reading! **

--

_I know you got a man but this is what you should say  
Why don't you tell him that I'm leavin' never looking back again  
You found somebody who does it better than he can  
No more making you cry  
No more them gray skies  
Girl we flying on a g-5, g-5  
And we're leavin' never looking back again  
So call your shawty you tell him you found a new man  
The one who's so so fly  
The one to keep you high  
Have you singing all night, like that_

(Leavin', Jesse McCartney)

Chapter 7- A Change

The portrait door slammed shut, signaling Hermione's return from the ill-fated Hogsmeade trip. Draco peered up from his sketchbook to see that she was crying, of course, and sighed. He put the book down along with his quill and stood up, but Hermione went upstairs without so much as a word to him, and he shrugged him shoulders, expected that. He sat back down with his quill, and continued drawing.

For some reason, he never had ideas before he drew. He just began to draw and hoped something would come out of it. Normally, he drew snakes or something from Quidditch, but today he was drawing a person. It was rare that he would draw any human, except himself playing Quidditch. This picture was clear as to who it was though; a pretty girl sitting on a bench while the wind blew around.

Draco scowled at the drawing but added more detail to it, figuring that if he was going to draw Hermione, he may as well do her some justice. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was becoming attracted to her, although denial wouldn't do him any good. On the other hand, Draco also knew he had no feelings romantically for her as of yet. Yes, he was quite entranced by her, and knew she was very pretty, even shag-able, but his emotions weren't tangled up in that.

Or that's what he was telling himself for the time being. There was no denying their strong friendship bond now, or the fact that he felt he must be comforting and protective around her. He cared for her more than he cared for almost anyone, which really wasn't saying much, but the fact that he cared for her at all was something. Draco Malfoy didn't care for many people in his life, and suddenly, this girl was important to him.

An hour or so later, Draco heard Hermione's soft footsteps coming down the stone staircase. His drawing of her sat on the table, but he made no move to flip the cover shut; he wanted her to see it. He was merely enjoying the fire's warmth, not reading nor doing anything in particular. Hermione walked over and sat down next to him on the couch.

Her hair was wet and she was in flannel pajama pants and a tank top. Draco noticed that her eyes were red from crying, and she seemed really upset. She glanced at the sketchbook and picked it up, studying it for a long minute before placing it down.

"Is that me?" she asked delicately, and Draco nodded, watching her face for any reaction. She smiled gently, her eyes lighting up.

"Do you not recognize the scene?"

"I do. Thank you… for everything today."

Draco grunted, not wanting to say anything else. He gathered up his sketchbook and flipped it shut, putting it away in his book bag. Hermione met his gaze as he looked back up, and Draco had the urge to kiss her again. These were his hormones speaking, he assured himself, and nothing more than that.

"Why did you stick up for me?"

Draco chose not to answer that, but pose his own question. "Did it just get you into more trouble, with Weasel King?"

Hermione coughed. "Please don't call him that. But yes, we had a big row. I think you could guess that much yourself, though."

Draco nodded again. "Yes. I'm good at observing these things. Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think so, for now. He'll start up again tomorrow though, I know he will."

"Well, if he gives you any type of trouble, just let me know. You know I don't mind sending a curse his way…" Draco assured her.

"I'd rather you didn't, however." She paused, and then turned to look at him. "Why are you so… protective? This is a new side to you."

Draco gulped and refused to meet her gaze for a moment, but knew he couldn't play this game with her. He couldn't explain why he was so protective of her, or anything that was going on, so he decided to do the only thing he could think so.

Without breathing, or thinking, Draco turned back to face Hermione and kissed her, hard. She reacted slowly and cautiously, as if she wasn't sure what to do, and that was most likely the case. She seemed to be fighting what she ought to be doing, pulling away, and what was instinctive, to kiss back. The latter side was clearly in control, however.

Draco put hand on the nape of her neck, tracing circles easily there. Her hands locked themselves in strands of his bleach blonde hair, tugging at them gently but not enough to hurt. Their lips moved beneath each others, perfectly in time, as if they had practiced their entire lives. It all seemed so normal and serene.

Bored with the simplicity of the kiss, Draco attempted to mix in his tongue with hers, but Hermione seemed to have come to her senses. She broke the kiss and stared at Draco in horror, detaching her hands from his hair and straightening up. Draco gave her an odd look but withdrew his hand slowly from her neck. Both were breathing unevenly, and staring at the other.

"Why'd you stop?" Draco demanded, even on the verge of complaining.

Hermione took a shaky breath and stood up. "What are we doing?" she asked, more to herself it seemed than him.

"Enjoying a good snog," Draco answered promptly.

"I am Hermione Granger and you are Draco Malfoy. We don't snog."

"We just did," he pointed out, smirking. "And you're quite a good kisser. You wouldn't know it, looking at you, but boy was I surprised."

"Not funny, Draco. This… can't happen. Again. Ever. I have a boyfriend…"

"One who you've now cheated on, with me, twice," Draco replied dryly, and Hermione considered this.

"Exactly, and it has got to stop. I don't know what's been going on between the two of us, but it is ending right now. I don't cheat, and don't think I'm about to make an exception for you. Please get this through your head, Draco."

"Why must I get it through my head? Because you can't control yourself when it comes to me?" he suggested, and Hermione face pulled into a frown.

"If that makes you sleep better at night, Draco Malfoy. As for me, I'm pretending that this didn't happen, and going to bed."

Draco stared at her as she walked upstairs without waiting for his response, and h shook his head. He wasn't angry or upset, but he was a bit frustrated. A part of him wanted to run after her, but there was another part of him that told him to stop. Never before had he put the feelings of another person above his own, but now he was considering Hermione's. Knowingly, and without good intentions, he was toying with her emotions.

What it did come down to was that Draco had nothing to offer Hermione but what he gave other girls, and that wasn't a relationship. Not the type that she wanted, anyways, and Draco was still desperately clinging to the idea that he felt nothing for the girl other than a small protective nature. If he had to, he would spend all night convincing himself he didn't like her.

He tossed and turned all night, attempting to gather his thoughts and trying to decide what to tell Hermione. There was nothing he could really say, since he didn't intend to do anything about her and Ron. Normally, he wouldn't care for a girl's feelings for someone else, but he knew Hermione could see right through him. She wasn't searching for a relationship based off sex, and he wasn't admitting he wanted anything else.

It has seemed to Draco, as he got up and took a shower, that he had hit a brick wall. He wasn't sure what had come over him in the past few days, or maybe weeks, but he had made a complete 360 in terms of personality. Hermione truly did bring out a side of him, yes, but it was not only nicer, but more confusing. Never before had he have to deal with such thoughts bouncing around his head all the time.

Because of this, he knew he'd have trouble in classes today. Draco worked extra hard through all of his lessons, giving small details particular care and trying not to break his concentration. Keeping busy was the way to be, and he knew it. Hermione seemed to do the same, and her friends definitely noticed a change. Draco attempted to ignore her all day long, but he caught himself staring at her several different times.

That night after dinner, Draco had quidditch practice. Since his mind was preoccupied, he ended up having an extremely painful practice. While flying around aimlessly, he got knocked in the stomach once and the head once by two separate bludgers, and almost fell off attempting to dodge another. The team noticed but chose not to say anything, most likely realizing that Draco had a nasty temper in times such as these.

When practice ended, Draco went back up to the common room quickly, desperate to take a long shower and go straight to bed. On top of that, he needed to fix the cut on his head from the bludger, which was slowly starting to ooze blood. He swore as he entered the common room, his hand sticky with blood from holding the cut.

"Goddamn," he muttered, grabbing his wand from the table, where he had accidentally left it. Hermione was sitting on the couch studying, and looked up, concerned.

"Oh! Are you alright?" she asked, standing up and bustling over. Draco shooed her away and used a spell to heal the cut, which immediately stopped flowing blood. Draco sighed and used another spell to clean off the blood and his hand, and then turned away to go upstairs.

"Not talking to me?" Hermione asked him, and he shrugged and walked upstairs, locking his door behind him. He took a long, hot shower, checked to make sure his head was alright, and then laid in his bed.

He was quickly falling into a deep sleep when he heard a knock on his door. He groaned and turned over, putting the pillow over his head, and ignored it. The knock came again, but Draco made no response to get up. Once more, the door echoed the sound of Hermione's knock. Draco sighed and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

If he had to talk to her, he would. Now was the time to spill out everything he was thinking, and he knew that Hermione would listen to him. She cared for him, and he for her, and they would just have to settle this now and get it over with. Draco walked slowly over to the door, and pulled it wide open.

Hermione had left.

--

The whole week went by relatively quickly for Draco, who was resigned not to talk to Hermione at all. She made no effort to speak to him either, and the two barely saw each other anymore now anyways. Draco had taken to studying in the library now, and Hermione spent all of her free time in the Gryffindor common room.

The funny thing was, Draco wasn't entirely sure why they were ignoring each other. For him, it was more that he was embarrassed and his pride had been hurt when she had rejected him. He also knew that it wasn't like that from Hermione's point of view, and she was only doing what was best; ending anything before they both got in over their heads.

The world wasn't prepared for the two of them to have anything together other than a passionate snog or two, and Draco had to face that now. The more she stayed away, the more he realized that it was stupid of him to think he had any feelings for her. Obviously, he just wanted in her pants because she had finally shown signs of womanhood. He wasn't interested in any type of complicated feelings, and Hermione most likely knew that. She was protecting herself.

Draco didn't put the thought in his head that Hermione may be starting to develop feelings for him slowly, since he would take advantage of that to get what he wanted. He was, after all, a boy first and foremost. His complicated situation with her needed to end, and hopefully they could just maintain a friendly relationship and that was all. However, Draco hardly believed that was possible.

Because just as sure as he was that he didn't like Hermione, the doubt was starting to sink in too. Why then, if he didn't like her, did he miss her so much? Why in the world was he so protective of her? And what was the sinking feeling he got in his gut whenever he saw Hermione with Ron? He assured himself he was just lonely and wanted the company again, but after a few days, he wasn't so sure. His brain was kicked into overdrive.

The following weekend, Draco got the feeling that Hermione was seeking him out to talk. She tried waiting for him after classes the day before, but he made sure he was with Blaise at all times. After dinner on Saturday, he went back to the Slytherin common room and returned late, so Hermione was already asleep. He was attempting to avoid a confrontation that he knew must happen.

Quidditch practice for Slytherin was scheduled to be on Sunday morning, so Draco went nice and early and warmed up on the pitch. For some reason, flying was really cheering him up today, and when his team arrived, they shared a great practice. After practice was over, he stayed for a few extra minutes and caught the snitch again on his own, hoping to put off the flood of feelings that returned with him to the ground.

He headed to the changing rooms and changed quickly, heading out the door, but he was stopped by none other than Hermione. She had clearly followed him to practice, and he had been so preoccupied, he hadn't noticed. Cursing himself, he attempted to go around her, but she stepped in front of his path. He put on a scowl.

"Stalking me now?"

"You've been avoiding me for days, Draco. We need to talk," she said, coming right up to him and staring at him with chocolate brown eyes. He put a hand through his blonde hair and nodded, leading her back to the stadium. The two sat on bleachers and Hermione faced him.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I told Ron about… what happened. He was pretty furious at you. I convinced him not to say anything, that I could handle it… that's why I was ignoring you. I thought maybe you'd want to know."

Draco was a little shocked. "You told Ron?" he asked faintly.

"Yes. But everything is okay between us… he forgave me. Because I told him that it wasn't all your fault. I told him I kissed back, that it was partially my fault as well."

"You didn't need to do that," Draco muttered.

"I thought maybe your pride couldn't handle it if I didn't," she joked, and he cracked a smile.

"Well, maybe. I don't face rejection very well."

"I've noticed. Listen, it's not you at all Draco. I enjoyed… what we shared. But it's not fair to Ron."

"Why do you always do that? Talk about other people like you owe them something. So what if it's not fair to Ron? What's fair to you, huh? Maybe getting what you deserve?" he snapped, standing up and pacing angrily.

"Who are you to tell me what I deserve? What do I deserve, Draco, huh? You? Is that it?"

"Are you saying I'm not good enough?" Draco asked sharply, rounding on her. She took a step back.

"N-No…" she stuttered.

"Then what is it? You're always complaining about Ron and how he treats you. Have you ever thought that maybe he's not the right one for you? Or the only one?"

Hermione couldn't say anything, and seemed to be fighting back another wave of tears. Draco sat down slowly and wiped a lone tear away, and she looked up to him. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and he put his hand there, as if wanting it to be her lips again. He felt nervous but he didn't know why.

"You want me to leave him, is that it?"

"I didn't… I don't know," he said lamely.

"For you, Draco?"

"No," he said firmly. "I can't give you what you want, Hermione."

"How do you know what I want? I don't even know what I want."

She got up and began to walk around in circles. Draco stared at her for a few minutes and picked up his broom, walking straight over to Hermione. He mounted his broom and took Hermione's hand slowly, pulling her on in front of him. She looked skeptical and opened her mouth to complain, but he shushed her and took off.

Hermione screamed but stayed on by holding on tight. Draco had his hands around her, gripping the front of the broom. He took her over the pitch, around the hoops, through some trees on the ground, and finally over a breathtaking view of the lake. Hermione was in silent awe, and Draco smiled proudly.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, and Draco nodded.

"I thought you might enjoy this, after everything."

"I did, thank you. But, can you take me back down now?" she asked, and Draco laughed, going into a dive. She screamed again and Draco held her tighter, laughing along the whole way down.

When they landed, Hermione seemed shaky while she walked at first. Draco dismounted smoothly, fixing his robes and shouldering his broom. Hermione had a wide smile plastered on her face. Draco wasn't sure what to do now, but he swept down again and briskly kissed Hermione's lips again.

"Is that okay?" he asked, unsure.

She hesitated. "Yes, but it shouldn't be."

--

**A/n- Reviews are awesome! Again, sorry for the long wait for the next one, but hopefully you guys can hang on. **


	8. Christmas Plans

A/n- Here's the update I promise

**A/n- Well, I never got to go home and add another chapter during my vacation. Sorry loyal readers. We're back to a chapter every 1-3 days now, however. **

**This is a particularly long chapter, and a lot does happen, but bear with me. We got to get the story rolling here a bit. This is my favorite so far. **

--

_If you just realize what I just realized,  
Then we'd be perfect for each other  
And will never find another  
Just realize what I just realized  
We'd never have to wonder if  
We missed out on each other now._

(Realize, Colbie Caillat)

Chapter 8- Christmas Plans

If anything, that day on the pitch had complicated matters even further. No, nobody had seen the two exchange the kiss or even riding together, but it also didn't soothe Draco's fears about liking Hermione. In fact, it almost confirmed them. The good thing was that Draco was excellent at hiding his emotions, even from Hermione, and even from himself. He would not, under any circumstances, allow himself to like a muggleborn. That was below his standards.

Even though Draco had kissed her, he still felt that it was against his nature and blood to go so far as to date a muggleborn. Then again, dating Hermione wasn't even an option available to him. Ron was still very much in the picture, to Draco's growing annoyance, and Hermione was intent on making it work.

That, however, was falling apart right before their very eyes. Ron was one of the most jealous and clingy people Draco ever had the misfortune to meet, and he constantly had to hear Hermione's complaints about him. Since the two spent a lot of time together, Ron was growing suspicious. Although Hermione and Draco hadn't kissed since the pitch, they acted as though they were more than friends often times. They had deep talks often and flirted shamelessly on occasion.

If it wasn't for Hermione's insistence on staying on friendly terms, Draco would have attempted something by now. Hermione always told him to be patient and see how things play out, but Draco had no clue what that even meant. He was frustrated with her, and with himself. He couldn't understand for the life of him why he was so intent on getting this particular girl.

As November came and went, classes became a bit lighter. The teachers were going a bit easier now that the holidays were about to roll around, but this came with a word of caution as well: after the holidays, the real work would begin. Everyone groaned at the thought of more work and harder exams, but they knew at the end of it all, they'd wish they were back to being in first year.

For Draco, the holidays meant staying at Hogwarts, most likely alone or perhaps with Blaise. Going home would mean facing an empty house, void of his mother, who was in hiding, or missing his father, back in Azkaban. He wished desperately his mother would come home, considering no one in the Ministry was on the lookout for her at all. No one had suspicions about her being a death eater, although they had good reasons to be.

On another note, he wanted to avoid any contact with any death eaters at all. Now that he was of age, and almost done school, he wasn't in the mood to be persuaded into being sworn into the death eater's ranks. He knew his father had promised Voldemort he would join after school, but Draco had no wish to do so, and hoped he could swindle his way out of it with his father being in jail.

A few weeks before the term ended for holiday break, Hermione came bursting into the common room, her face void of emotion, but not crying. Draco gave her a skeptical look and finished off his sentence in his textbook, putting it on the table. Hermione stomped over and sat down on the armchair across from Draco. His expression remained amused.

"What's bothering you?" he asked, his quill between his teeth.

"Did you realize that we have to plan a Christmas Ball before everyone goes home?"

"We do?" Draco asked blankly, cocking his head to the side.

"Yes, we do. By next week, since it's going to be the weekend after next. So, I figure we should get started tonight, shouldn't we?"

"Sure… what's wrong with you? You seem angry as well."

"Oh, it's just Ron," she replied, waving her hand as if dismissing it.

"What's Weasel doing now?"

"Being insufferable as usual, you know the deal Draco. Pass me the parchment," she muttered, and Draco handed over a roll of parchment. She dipped her quill in ink and began to write extremely quickly, and Draco leaned back and relaxed.

The rest of the evening was spent devising elaborate plans for the Ball, including music, food, dress (formal or semiformal) and any other types of entertainment. Draco thought the entire process was overdone, but Hermione was in her prime throughout the whole thing, and Draco enjoyed watching her work diligently.

In the end, they decided it was too late to find a suitable wizard band to play live, so they would have to stick to wizard radio through speakers. Hopefully, McGonagall could figure something out. For the food, it was determined that a feast equivalent to the Welcoming feast would be in order, but served on small tables such as those at the Yule Ball. The dress would be semiformal, which was open to interpretation; but namely, dress robes for boys or nice pants and a dress shirt, and a dress (formal or party, whichever the girl preferred) for the girls. Hermione was working on wizard Christmas crackers for the tables, but other than that, dancing would be the main entertainment.

"I understand now why we never have a Christmas Ball normally… its hell to plan," Draco said after finishing. It was really late by now, and Draco was exhausted. Hermione sighed a breath of relief, and stood up.

"Well, it'll be worth it to see our work when it's all done," she said excitedly. Draco shook his head in disbelief and got up as well, ready for a nice long rest before classes tomorrow.

"Whatever you say, crazy woman." Hermione smiled in response.

--

It was custom for Draco to find a date for all Balls, and this one was no different than the others. Hermione had already told him that Ron had asked her and of course the two would be going together. She encouraged him to take Melana, whom she seemed to like more than Pansy, and Draco agreed, since he didn't want to be alone. At dinner, he popped the question.

"I'd love to, Draco," she cooed, and Draco rolled his eyes. The two had barely spoken since the Hogsmeade fiasco, but she didn't seem to be angry at him. He reminded her that he had to enter with Hermione, as was custom for the Heads, but promised he'd find her afterwards.

With that over with, he headed back to the common room. The Ball was in two days, on a Friday night, and they only had one day of classes left, since Friday was given as a day off. The students would be leaving for their homes on Sunday, but Draco, as planned, would be staying home. He had no clue as to Hermione's winter holiday plans, but had a feeling as to what she was doing.

When he reached the common room, he sighed at the emptiness. Hermione would be late tonight, she had warned him, as her and Ginny were shopping in Hogsmeade for dresses. He decided on going to bed early, hoping the next few days would fly by so he could get his vacation relaxation started.

On the day of the Ball, Draco had to make the decision between Muggle clothes or dress robes, but he wasn't exactly sure. He headed down the common room stairs with about a half hour left to go, and noticed Hermione was already ready and waiting for him. He stared at her as he walked down the stairs, clad only in black boxers, still unsure of what to wear.

She was wearing a pink party dress, almost to her knees, that was simple yet elegant. The idea of semiformal was well represented. Her feet were clad in silver shoes, and he could see she matched her earrings and hair clips with it as well. Around her neck was a heart shaped silver pendant. She had a bit of makeup on, and Draco had to admit, he was impressed.

Actually, he was more than impressed. He was entranced, and as he walked closer, Hermione smiled at his expression. She looked very pretty, perhaps beautiful, but Draco was not willing to admit that to her just yet. He stopped a few feet from her.

"Wow," he said quietly, and her teeth shone through in her smile.

"Thank you. Uh… you're not dressed?" she asked, as though she hadn't noticed until then. Draco smirked as her eyes traveled over his body slowly, and then landed back into his eyes.

"No. I couldn't decide on Muggles clothes or dress robes. What do you think?"

"You're asking me for advice?"

"Well, you're a girl. What would you rather see me in," he asked, a smirking playing on his face. She blushed pink to match her dress, and thought carefully.

"Dress robes. Sorry, but I have a trouble seeing you in formal Muggle attire," she admitted, and he chuckled.

"Alright," he said, and went upstairs to change. He chose simple black dress robes, fixed his hair with a spell, and washed his face and charmed his teeth clean.

Draco bounded down the stairs and landed on the floor of the common room, and Hermione looked up in surprise. Draco walked over and elegantly displayed his arm, and she chuckled and took it.

"That was quick," she commented as they walked outside and headed down to the Ball.

"I'm a fast dresser."

"I'm sure you are," she muttered, and Draco winked at her. She slapped him on the arm, and they walked the rest of the way to the Ball.

When they arrived, McGonagall pulled them from the stairs and through the crowd, right up to the doors. It seemed they were casually late, thanks to Draco, but it didn't matter too much. McGonagall pulled open the doors, ushering them through them, and the two stumbled into the Great Hall, leading a line of prefects and their dates. Ron lead Draco's date, so he didn't look stupid, as he was a prefect, so he stood behind Hermione and Draco.

The music began playing as soon as they entered, the lights dim. The dance floor was immaculate and perfectly constructed, a good charm by Flitwick. Their plans were in front of their eyes, a job very well done. The tables were articulately designed and decorated, and Hermione knew the food would be well prepared.

The couples, lead by the Heads, drifted to the dance floor and enjoyed one dance together. For Draco and Hermione, it was more torturous than enjoyable because Ron's eyes were boring holes in the back of their heads the entire time. Melana didn't seem to like Ron at all, and was standing as far away as dancing would permit.

At the end of the song, Draco stepped swiftly away from Hermione, who went to a relieved Ron, and headed to flag down Melana, who was walking towards him anyways. The Heads were required to sit at the same table, which permitted eight guests, so Draco would have to see Hermione anyways. Draco led Melana towards their table, which they were sharing with Hermione, Ron, Blaise, Pansy, Harry and Ginny.

After a long feast and some awkward table conversation, Hermione was swept off to the floor by Ron, who wasn't a great dancer but apparently wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and Draco. As soon as they got up, Melana tugged on his hand and whisked him off to dance as well, leaving Harry and Ginny alone at the table to watch Pansy and Blaise make out.

Draco could dance for hours, and knew that Melana could as well. After about an hour, however, Draco was simply getting a bit bored, and Melana decided to go gossip with some Slytherin girls who were congregating at a table in the corner. Draco sat down and made small talk with Blaise, since Pansy had ditched him as well. A few minutes later, a slow song came on.

Looking over, Draco realized Hermione was sitting down, talking to Ginny, with Ron nowhere in sight. He put a finger up to Blaise to silence him, got up, and crossed over to where Hermione was sitting. She looked up at him.

"Would you like a dance?" he sneered, and she frowned at him but agreed. Ginny gave Hermione an awkward look but said nothing, looking at Blaise as though this was his fault. Blaise shrugged.

Hermione led Draco to the dance floor gently, and the two crept towards the middle, less likely to be spotted. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and he arms reached and hung themselves around Draco's neck. She was so short that it seemed impossible that she should be able to reach that height, but the heels had given her an advantage.

They twirled slowly to the song, not saying much of anything at all but merely enjoying each other's company. After the first song, another slow one came on, and they didn't move from their embrace, if only to get a bit closer. To any onlookers, of which there were actually very many, it would have seemed as though the two were a couple.

The news of their dancing quickly circulated around the dance, and as soon as it came to Ron Weasley, he decided he must seek the two out. Grabbing Harry by the collar, he whisked the two into the middle of the dance floor, finding Hermione almost instantly. The two students didn't see them coming and Draco was startled when Ron was in his face, beet red.

"What are you doing with my girlfriend, mate?" he asked angrily, grabbing Draco and shoving him angrily. There were a few 'Ohhhh's' from the crowd, which quickly moved into a circle.

"Excuse me?" Draco snapped, pushing Ron back from him. "Did you just touch me?"

Ron went a shade redder as he got angrier. Harry was trying to hold him back but just barely. Hermione had sidled off a bit, Ginny attempting to keep her from getting involved.

"I asked you a question," Ron shouted, shaking from the anger coursing through his body.

"Stop it, stop it right now!" Hermione yelled, ejecting herself between the too, wand raised. "Back off, Ronald."

"Stay out please, Hermione," Draco muttered, sidestepping so she was no longer in his way.

"Get out of the way!" Ron stormed, pushing Hermione to the side and waltzing up to Draco, pulling back his fist and punching him square in the jaw.

Draco didn't hesitate, but grabbed Ron around the shoulders and shoved him back from him, his jaw aching from the punch. Ron rammed into him, coming back for more, and Draco threw his own punch, the force knocking Ron right to the floor. The crowd jumped back, as if Draco would turn around and charge them next. Ron scrambled to his feet, clutching his nose, which was bleeding.

Hermione was crying, Harry was fighting to pull Ron back, and Draco had decided it was time that he left the dance. He turned around, his knuckles throbbing, and stormed out of the double doors. A few teachers gave him questions looks, the news not reaching him yet, but he said nothing and went straight up to his common room.

Angrily, he paced the common room for almost twenty minutes, wondering desperately when Hermione would return. She would be furious that he fought back, of course, but she couldn't have expected him not to retaliate. Muggle fighting was something he didn't do often, but no doubt, he had bested Weasley at it. His hand was killing him, and it had just occurred to him to use a spell to relieve his pain.

After a few more minutes of facing, the pain in his hand gone, he decided to take a shower. He stomped up the stairs, threw off his dress robes, and stepped into the hot shower. The water pelted his body angrily, just as his thoughts did to his head, and eventually, he stepped out. The bathroom was completely fogged up, but he didn't mind. Draco changed into a loose black t-shirt and boxers, and headed back into his room.

Hermione was there waiting for him, her eyes red but her face set. She didn't look too angry at all, but Draco walked carefully to his bed and sat down. She joined him immediately, her hands clasped on her lap. Draco waited patiently for her to speak, but she didn't say a word.

"I'm guessing you're pretty angry with me," Draco said, a glum look on his face. Hermione looked at him oddly and shook her head, no.

"You defended yourself. I wish you hadn't punched him, but I admit, he deserved what he got."

Draco was shocked by that response, but of course, much happier. He couldn't understand then, why she was looking so upset. Of course, she most likely was mad at Ron, and the two had probably had another row. Either way, Draco was sure to hear about it very soon.

"Oh. Well then, if you don't mind me asking, what's wrong, if you aren't angry with me?"

"I- I broke up with Ron," she admitted, her eyes welling up again.

"Oh… why?"

"He was jealous, clingy, and didn't trust me at all," she said, staring deep into his eyes. He reached over, wiping a tear away, and played with a strand of her hair, which was still half up, half down, in curls. It looked messy from dancing.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you made the right decision," he said, looking away for a second.

"I did," she stated boldly, and Draco looked back at her. "And…"

She stopped. Draco looked at her curiously.

"What?"

"I wanted to be able to do this," she said slowly, and leaned in carefully, and kissed him again.

--

The next morning, Draco was feeling a lot better. Although last night had been unexpected of Hermione, for some reason he was feeling really good about it. After the two had kissed, she had simply left, leaving him to his thoughts. But he realized that for the first time, Hermione had initiated the kiss, which was interesting to him.

Draco now had fears, however. He was scared that Hermione liked him, which she most likely did, and he was also afraid that he liked her back. Malfoys weren't afraid of anything though, and even if they were, they were taught to face anything head-on. Draco wasn't sure how a Malfoy would tackle a problem such as this though.

All he knew was that he didn't want to like Hermione, but it seemed to him now that something as difficult as that was like trying to fight fate. Someone really wanted them to be together or something, or else all this wouldn't be so easy for Draco. He had barely lifted a finger, or even tried, and a girl was right there for him. Now, normally, it was like this, but never in such a complicated situation.

Hermione Granger was not the type of girl to simply allow themselves to be had by Draco Malfoy. Draco Malfoy got girls from Slytherin, girls who were easy and annoying and good for boys like Draco, who were simply window-shopping. Girls like Hermione were never on Draco's radar, because they meant complicated relationships, and Draco wanted none of this.

But somehow, Draco did want all of the relationship type things. He knew that Hermione wouldn't be ready for such a thing, and he certainly wasn't, but he was willing to try for it. He had never had a simple relationship where he had real, true, and strong feelings for the girl, and she returned them. But something told him, his gut perhaps, that he could have all that with Hermione. It seemed very cheesy to him, but he was grasping for it somehow.

After breakfast, Hermione was sitting in the common room, petting her cat, when Draco walked in. He sat down beside her, saying nothing, and opened his book to read. She looked up at him, expecting something, and Draco put the book down.

"Hey," he said casually, and she greeted him in return. She seemed glum.

"What are you doing for the holidays?" she asked him swiftly, and Draco shrugged.

"Staying here. What about you?"

"Why aren't you going home?" she prodded.

"You don't want to know," he said quickly. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I was _supposed_ to go to the Burrow with Harry, Ginny, and Ron. But I don't think I want to go now. I mean, I've been going almost every Christmas with them, but now it seems… awkward."

"I understand."

"Would you mind it so much if I was to… stay here, with you?"

"Not at all," he said, smirking. "You know, you'd have nothing to do but spend time with me."

"I'm alright with that."

"Merlin knows what could happen. Just me, you, a blazing fire, some hot cocoa…"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You in a little Santa's helper costume…" he mentioned, trailing off. Hermione chuckled.

"Don't get your hopes up."

--

**A/n- Reviews are awesome. See you in about a week!**


	9. Azkaban

A/n- This story is going to take a bit of a darker side quite soon, which I'm excited about

**A/n- This story is going to take a bit of a darker side quite soon, which I'm excited about. Reviews make me happy :(**

--

_Why don't you kiss her (tell her you love her)  
Why don't you tell her (tell her you need her)  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide  
'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside..._

(Why Don't You Kiss Her, Jesse McCartney)

Chapter 9- Azkaban

Sunday morning at breakfast was nothing more or less than a fiasco. Ron's nose had been fixed by Madam Pomfrey, but there was nothing she could do to prevent his eye from bruising. He boldly displayed it at breakfast and Draco smirked, knowing his work was very well done. He, on the other hand, had no mark on his face or hand at all, so apparently Ron wasn't great at punching.

Everyone at the Slytherin table was gossiping about the fight last night, and no one seemed to realize that it was over none other than Hermione Granger. Of course, people had seen the Heads dancing, but they had figured it was just a casual friendly dance. Slytherins normally would be made fun of for dancing with a Gryffindor, especially a muggleborn, but since it was Draco, no one dared to say anything. Except for Pansy, of course.

"She's not even pretty," Pansy huffed to Draco as he ate his breakfast, and Draco shrugged and said nothing in return. He was watching the Gryffindor table in anticipation, knowing Hermione had to drop the bomb that she was staying now, or time would run out.

Draco knew when it happened. Ron got a look on his face that looked as though he had been punched again, and also, he was finally paying attention to Hermione again, whom he had been solidly ignoring. Harry talked to her, presumably to ask her why, and then shrugged and continued to eat. Ginny gave Hermione a hug before Hermione got up, giving Ron a dirty look, and walked away from the table.

Hermione stalked over to the Slytherin table, ignoring the hisses and dirty looks, right up to Draco. Pansy tried to trip her but Hermione saw it and smiled politely at her before turning to Draco. He seemed surprised, but stood up to talk to her, which is what she wanted to do.

"Go along with it," she mouthed, and Draco was about to ask what she was talking about when she slapped him. It wasn't really hard at all, but it left a pink spot on his cheek. Normally, he would never let anyone, let alone a muggleborn, get away with it, but he took a step back.

He was a bit dumbstruck, but Hermione smiled at him bitterly and walked out of the hall amid stares and cheers from the Gryffindor table. Ron looked extremely pleased with himself.

"Well, that's what you get!" he yelled for Draco to hear, and Draco walked right up to him. McGonagall was on his feet but said nothing.

"At least I can fight my own battles Weasley. My pride might be bruised, but my face isn't," Draco responded, smirking, and turned on his heel and strutted away. The Slytherin table had erupted into laughter.

A few Slytherin girls trailed him up to his room, asking him if he was okay and if they could 'fix up the mudblood', but he refused any help and entered the common room alone, where Hermione was waiting for him. He slowly shut the door and she ran up to him, laughing a little bit.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, pressing her lips to where she had slapped him.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "What was that for?"

"Ron was assuming that we are going to do things that we _aren't_ going to do when we're alone here," she said, making her words clear.

"Or what we are going to do," Draco murmured sexily into her ear, trying to cajole her into kissing him. She pushed him away a little, putting her hands on her hips.

"Stop it. You're getting unreal fantasies about what is happening between you and I, and I think you're getting a little bit ahead of yourself."

"You're too difficult for your own good," he complained, sitting in his armchair.

"No, you're spoiled and used to easy girls. It's nice to have a challenge, isn't it?"

Draco grunted in response. "Come here."

Hermione walked over and Draco pulled her onto his lap, Hermione squealing the whole way down. She kissed him on the lips passionately and he pulled her even closer, allowing his hands to tangle themselves in her curls. The two kissed for awhile until Hermione slid her tongue into his mouth, and Draco groaned a little. For once, Hermione seemed to have no guilt trip or objections to their snogging activity.

Draco picked her up and laid her down on the couch, gently lifting himself over her, pressing on her lightly and kissing her again. Her hands felt their way under his shirt and traced his abs delicately, Draco allowing another light moan to escape his lips.

"Tease," he muttered, kissing the side of her neck until she moaned, louder than him, and Draco smirked. Their lips met again in another kiss, which lasted a few minutes until Hermione pulled away.

"Someone's excited," Hermione whispered, looking down to Draco's pants. He cursed and got off of her, Hermione chuckling to herself.

"You think you're clever, don't you?"

She nodded her head, kissing him again and then strutting off towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To gloat about slapping you," she said happily, blew him a kiss as he scowled, and skipped out of the portrait door.

--

A few days later, Draco and Hermione were completely bored with the common room, and the schoolwork that had been assigned over break was already done. It was Christmas Eve, and Hermione was set on relaxing for the next few days before doing anything strenuous at all. Draco had argued that Hermione hardly did anything at all that required physical strength, and he had received a kick for that.

At the last minute, Draco had decided it would be prudent to buy Hermione a gift for Christmas, although he rarely did that. He figured with his parents gone from home and unable to receive anything, he might as well spend a few galleons on the girl. So, he donned his cloak and set out with nothing so much as a word to Hermione, who seemed confused.

Using a secret passageway, Draco snuck out of the castle and into Hogsmeade, and began to wander around aimlessly. He had no clue what to buy Hermione for Christmas at all, but he hoped by walking by some stores, he would get some ideas.

First, he entered Honeydukes and bought her some expensive chocolate, since all girls liked chocolate, no matter what other things they liked. He also bough some Drooble's for himself, and set off again into the snow, which was now falling gently from the grey sky. After Honeydukes, Draco spotted a bookstore and entered quietly.

The witch at the front desk bowed to him and he smiled back cautiously, and then set off into the bookstores. Walking down the aisles, he touched the spines of dusty volumes, trying to decide what Hermione would like to read. He passed a section on styling, and thought it would be funny to buy a book for her on tips to style her hair. He'd probably get another slap for that.

At the end of the row, he came across a table of Defensive books, all about defensive spells, hexes, curses, and all the like. He figured she would like it, since all of her little friends were into such things, and be picked it up. It was extremely heavy, and by the looks of the tag, expensive too. That didn't stop him however; Draco put the book under his arm, went up to the desk, and paid 10 galleons for it.

The kind witch at the desk gift wrapped it for him, which was lucky because Draco wasn't good at wrapping at all, and didn't know a spell to do it either. She handed the package back and he placed it in a shopping bag, and headed back up to the castle.

"What's that?" Hermione asked as he entered the common room, staring at the bag. Draco looked away and hurried upstairs, hiding it under his bed for now until later, when he'd put it under their tree.

"Did you buy me something?" Hermione asked him suspiciously.

"Don't be thick," was his reply, and her face dropped. Draco smirked and brought her close to him, for a hug, and she relaxed in his arms.

"You left me all alone here for awhile," Hermione pouted, and Draco picked her up easily and tickled her, making her giggle.

"I'm sorry, _princess_," he replied, setting her down on the couch and sitting next to her.

"You should be." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to be angry. Draco thought she looked quite sexy when she did that, but Hermione shied away from any compliments that Draco was willing to dish out, so he said nothing.

"Well, you're not alone now," he said, winking at her. Hermione rolled her eyes, finding it difficult to dissuade Draco from what he wanted. She accepted his kiss and then pulled away after a few moments.

Draco pouted. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm being used," she said, frowning at him. Draco shrugged and tried to kiss her again but failed.

"You're not being used," he sighed, leaning back against the back of the couch. Hermione didn't seem entirely convinced, but Draco felt they had talked about this topic way too much in the past few days, and he was sick of it.

"Then what are we doing?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he finally answered, getting up and heading down to dinner. Hermione didn't follow him this time.

--

Draco woke up the next morning very unpleasantly; a splash of water to the face. He sputtered and blinked, wiping away the water from his face, which soaked onto his bed sheets. He groaned and turned over to face none other than Hermione, who had a victorious look on her face. Draco muttered, cursing, and sat up.

"Morning sleepyhead," she whispered, giving him a kiss. He was too tired to respond so he just grunted and got out of bed. Hermione's eyes did the normal once-over of his body before he covered himself up with a t-shirt and sweat pants.

"Happy Christmas," she said joyfully as the two walked downstairs. Draco knew it was much earlier than he would have liked to wake up, but Hermione seemed perfectly chipper. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, Happy Christmas to you too. What time is it?"

"Eight," she replied, and Draco groaned. They had reached the common room, where a mountain of presents sat under the tree. One of them was making a weird rattling noise. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Too early," he mumbled, sitting on the ground next to the Christmas tree. Hermione plopped herself down next to him and pulled a package over for her, and then one for him.

The two spent some time going through their gifts, smiling and laughing with each other. Draco's mood improved significantly as he went through the pile of presents, and Hermione reflected it much the same. He received gifts from his father (surprisingly), his mother, Snape, Bellatrix (Hermione frowned at that), Blaise, Pansy, and Melana. Most of it was chocolate and other sweets, or books. His mother had bought him two new sets of robes, which he was actually in need of.

The two of them finally only had one gift left apiece; from each other. Draco smirked and drew the gift from Hermione towards him, which was the rattling gift. On top of it was a card and another small package. She watched him open it.

The card was sweet and simple, and Draco smiled at her, placing it on the ground. He ripped open the small package next, which was a package of Chocolate Frogs, Draco's favorite.

"Thank you," he said, and then stared at the rattling present.

"Open it," she urged, and Draco quickly unwrapped it.

It was a small cage, wire-like, with a wheel inside of it and a little water bottle on the side. Inside of the cage was a white ferret, running around wildly, shaking the bars. Clearly, the ferret had been the source of the rattling that Draco had been hearing all morning. He smirked at it and saw that Hermione was positively beaming.

"Do you like it?" she asked hesitantly.

"You're clever Granger," was all he said, bringing the animal out of the cage for a second. It squirmed in his hands, and he put it back inside, locking the cage. He set it off to the side.

"Your turn," he said, winking. Hermione tore open the paper to the chocolate, and smiled, smelling it.

"Looks good," she commented, and Draco nodded. Next, she unwrapped the bigger gift, which was the book that Draco had bought her. Her face lit up in shock and delight, and she flipped through the pages eagerly. She seemed delighted that Draco had been so thoughtful.

"I can't believe you're encouraging me to read," she joked, and Draco chuckled. "But it was very thoughtful of you. Honestly, I'm surprised it wasn't some sort of lingerie."

Draco laughed again. "I didn't want another slap."

She leaned over and gave him a big hug, which Draco accepted. They embraced for awhile, just sitting in front of the tree, gift wrap torn up and scattered around them, and smelling the scent of pine needles and Christmas dinner in the Great Hall. It was sentimental and relaxing, and Draco found that he enjoyed the feeling of Hermione's small body, held in his arms protectively.

The remainder of the day was spent in their pajamas, lounging around their common room. Not wanting to join everyone at yet another Christmas Feast, Draco ordered a few elves to bring them their meals upstairs, where they ate on the floor, sitting Indian-style. That night, they cuddled by the fire, Hermione telling Draco stories of her childhood, and he shared many anecdotes as well. They laughed the night away, and fell asleep in each others' arms.

The week following Christmas Day was spent doing everything imaginable together. The two Heads spent a day in Hogsmeade, shopping; another day on the grounds having a gigantic snowball fight; two days of reading to each other and studying together; and a whole day dedicated to wizard chess, in which Hermione beat Draco seven games to five. At the end of the week, Draco felt much closer to Hermione.

The final night they were to be together, alone and without the company of Hermione's friends, who were returning the following day, was New Year's Eve. Hermione had already requested that they spend the night in the common room, and not attend the feast either. In the Great Hall, there was scheduled to be a type of party for all those who had stayed, but neither Draco nor Hermione wanted to go. The two agreed they would stay in the common room.

In his mind, Draco was battling ideas of what he wanted to do. A part of him had now accepted that he liked Hermione, whether it is a lot or just a bit, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. The other part of him continued to ignore the feelings that he got around her, like when his heart beat fast and his palms sweated.

He paced around his bedroom while Hermione took a shower and he waited for his turn, thinking about what he wanted to do. Jealousy was something he was afraid of admitting to, but he didn't want Hermione with Ron or any other boy anymore. Whether he was serious about her at all was another story, but he did want her all for himself. For the first time, Draco was attracted to a girl whom wasn't easy, but was difficult, and he was addicted to the challenge she presented.

He jumped in the shower after Hermione, still thinking through his thoughts. Although he never showed it, Draco could be quite the sweetheart. He was creative, original, a little cheesy, and a perfect gentleman at times. He had been brought up like that, like all Malfoys. He thought Hermione would find it adorable what he was planning to do, so he had decided he would at least try it out.

Late that night, Hermione snuggled up to him on the couch. Draco kept his watch nearby, and they watched as the minutes slowly clicked by, counting the time down until the year was over. Draco had never expected that he would be spending the end of his year with this girl in his arms, but he had to admit, it was turning out pretty well.

The evening had been spent eating various foods that Draco had nicked from the kitchens, and also some of the meal from earlier during the feast. McGonagall had silenced the Great Hall, so the two couldn't hear the music, but it had been very loud before he had done so. They also talked about random things, not as serious as had been previous nights, and laughed about old memories. Hermione seemed to find it humorous that Draco used to be mean towards her.

"So I really never hurt your feelings?" he asked seriously.

"Maybe a few times. For example, the very first time you called me a mudblood. But I learned not to let it get to me," she explained, and Draco nodded silently. "My friends were really good through the whole thing."

"I'd expect," Draco said simply.

"If you'd only get along with them," she muttered.

"It's not going to happen," he said sharply, and Hermione's face fell but she said nothing in return. They were quiet until Draco checked his watch.

"A minute to go," he murmured, pulling Hermione closer to his body and entwining his fingers with hers. She looked at their hands and smiled gently, snuggling into Draco's body.

They watched the seconds tick by, seemingly slower than even possible, ticking closer to the next year, which would surely bring change into both of their lives. Hermione seemed content, rolled up in a ball and hugged tightly by Draco, her small hand fitting perfectly inside his. His arm wrapped around her, keeping her warm, and his fingers playing with her soft brown curls gently, allowing a smile to play onto her delicate features.

"Five seconds," she whispered. "Four… Three… Two…O-"

Draco cut her final word off with his lips, kissing her softly against the couch cushions, his arms coming up and trapping her against the couch, her body flushed between his and the leather cushions. Her breathing was ragged when they finished, but she immediately put her arms around his neck and pulled him forward for another. Draco eventually landed on top of her, his body pressing on her gently once again, a smirk on his lips.

"Hermione," he whispered into her ear, and then pulled at her earlobe with his teeth.

"Yes?" she asked, letting a contented sigh escape her lips.

"I would like it very much if you would agree to be my girlfriend."

"Okay," she answered without hesitation, kissing him again.

"That's a yes?" he asked.

"Mhm," she confirmed, and Draco smiled into her lips.

"I thought it'd be interesting to start the New Year… together," he finished.

"You're adorable, Draco," she cooed, tickling his ribs a little bit. Draco wasn't familiar with so much cuteness, so he sat up straight and gave her a look. She rolled her eyes.

They began to kiss again, and for a few minutes, it just seemed like nothing mattered but the two of them. Draco wanted much more from Hermione, but knew he wasn't going to be getting anything from her just yet. Unfortunately for Hermione, patience was not one of his very many personality traits, so she'd have to give in a little bit in the end.

The two were enjoying themselves immensely, Draco especially, when they were interrupted by a knock on the portrait door. Hermione jumped apart from Draco, anxiously smoothing her hair. Standing up, Draco walked across the room and opened the door.

McGonagall was standing there, his face set. Her eyes seemed sad but reflective; worried. However, Draco could tell she had dropped her demeaning attitude for something quite important. Draco moved aside and he stepped into the room, looking at Hermione first and then back to Draco.

"I'm sorry to disturb you at such an hour, Mr. Malfoy. Would you be kind enough to sit down?" she asked, looking grave. Draco nodded and walked back, sitting in the armchair he normally did. McGonagall remained standing.

"Is something wrong, Professor?" Draco asked quickly.

"Yes. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Draco gulped. "Please go on."

"I just received an urgent owl from the Ministry." Draco nodded, urging her to continue. "It seems, as of this morning, that is, that something has gone awry. In Azkaban, I mean."

"What do you mean, gone awry?"

"There's been an… accident, it seems. The details are unclear."

"Professor, what's happened?" Hermione gushed, looking at Draco fearfully.

"There was a breakout in Azkaban. All those who were imprisoned, especially recently, such as Voldemort's followers, have been released. That is to say… your Aunt Bellatrix, Draco, is on the loose once again."

"Professor, that's horrible…" Hermione said, her mouth open in shock.

"Indeed, Ms. Granger, it is troubling news. It is clear to me that they are preparing for all out war. However," she continued, "this is not the only news I bring you."

"Yes, sir, you didn't mention my father… did he not…?" Draco stopped, receiving an odd look from Hermione.

"Your father, it seems Draco, did not make it."

"Oh, so he's still in Azkaban?"

McGonagall paused, the sighed. "Your father is dead, Mr. Malfoy."

--

**A/n- I almost left the chapter at where McGonagall came in, but I decided I didn't want to leave you with a cliffhanger after I've been gone so long! Please review, I'll love you guys!**


	10. Numb

A/n- Loving the reviews

**A/n- Loving the reviews. A couple of people reviewed my other story, Of Winning Her Heart, which I actually haven't written for in a long time. After I complete this fic, I may go back and finish. I never did. I haven't decided yet, but for those of you who did read/review it, thank you, but consider it on "hiatus" right now. **

**On another note, I've started writing up a new story. It's Draco/Hermione, of course, and it'll be out within a few days. I have two chapters done. It's set after Hogwarts though, and it's the first time I've ever done one like that, so… I'd appreciate the support! I'll let you guys know when I actually do post it. **

--

_And sometimes  
I forgive  
And this time  
I'll admit  
That I miss you, I miss you  
Hey dad_

(Emotionless, Good Charlotte)

Chapter 10- Numb

Draco choked at hearing those words, but of course he wouldn't cry. Malfoys did not cry, no matter what the circumstances were. Draco hadn't cried since he was a small child, yet right now, he knew he was on the verge of tears. His father may be crazy, racist, and a killer, but he was his father, and that meant something deep for Draco. Everything Draco had ever known stemmed from that man, and now, he was gone.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I must be going. There will be parents to deal with in the morning. Miss Granger," McGonagall said, nodding to Hermione. "Take care of him."

McGonagall turned and left quickly, most likely to give Draco his privacy. It was true that parents would be fearful in the morning, and it would be the Headmistresses' job to calm their fears about Hogwarts being attacked. There was a lot going on tonight, but Draco neither was worried or cared at all. His mind was white; a clean slate; blank.

He got up and walked blindly to the door, not seeing or hearing anything, although Hermione was repeating his name over and over, as if that was going to quell his sadness. He reached for the handle but missed the first time, unsteadily tripping. Hermione was there to steady him and open the door, which he went through and up the stairs. Quietly, Hermione followed.

Hermione rarely went in Draco's room, but he made no objections as she followed him. He sat on the bed and put his head in his hands, pushing his thumbs against his eyes so he wouldn't cry. Hermione noticed this but said nothing, just sat next to him quietly, brushing his hair away from his forehead silently. His hand grabbed hers after awhile and put it down on the bed, stroking it gently.

"I'm going to need some alone time," he said quietly.

"Maybe I should stay…"

"Under any other circumstances, that would be delightful," he muttered. "But tonight, no."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fucking positive! Get out!" he screamed, and Hermione jumped off the bed and stormed away, angry apparently. She turned around once to say something, but noticed a small tear running down Draco's cheek. She shook her head and walked through the bathroom to her bedroom.

She kept the door open.

--

Hermione felt groggy when she woke up, late, Monday morning. It was the students' last day off, but it was also the day that Ron, Harry, and Ginny would be returning from the Burrow. She turned over in her queen size bed and came face to face with a sleeping Draco. She jumped a little bit, caught off guard, but then smiled, knowingly.

Draco slowly opened his eyes, blinking morning fog out of them, and looked up at Hermione, who was looking at him. She gave him a half-smile, encouraging, and Draco groaned, picking himself up from the mattress. Balancing on his eyebrows, he cocked his head to the side and stared at Hermione, who was unsure on what to say.

"Are you… alright?"

Draco grunted.

"Alright, stupid question. Do you need anything?"

"Unless you know a spell that can awaken the dead, then no."

Hermione shook her head, not knowing what to do. Draco seemed to know what she was thinking however, and pulled her closer for a hug. The two embraced for a long time, just holding each other, or rather, Hermione holding him. Being oddly quiet, Draco knew Hermione must be worried about him, but there really was nothing she could do for him. Eventually, he would have to face what had happened, but for now, he would grieve in silence.

Suddenly, the two heard a distinctive noise, somewhat of a creaking and then a slam. Draco looked at Hermione anxiously, not knowing what to do. Then, Ron's voice carried upstairs, calling out for Hermione. There were footsteps, and then Hermione's downstairs door opened.

"Hermione?" Ron called upstairs, taking the first step on the stone staircase.

"Go! Go!" Hermione whispered, and Draco gracefully leapt out of bed and sprinted through the bathroom door, crossing through to his room. He dove into his bed, which barely moved, and acted as though he was asleep.

He could hear Hermione getting up and throwing on more clothes, thankfully, since Draco felt she was a bit underdressed for visitors, in his opinion. He pretended to groggily get up and put on sweats over his boxers.

He could see through the two ajar bathroom doors that Ron was attempting to talk to Hermione. He hugged her and went in for a kiss, but Hermione backed away from him. She said something and shook her head, putting her hand on her hips. Draco laughed, until Ron tried again.

He stormed into Hermione's room, slamming the door all the way open. Ron pulled back from his kissing attempt and stared at Draco with hatred in his eyes. The bruise from around his eye was gone now, to Draco's dismay, but he was thinking about putting it back there very soon. Draco cracked his knuckles, feeling lost because his wand was back in his room, on the nightstand table.

"Do you have a problem Malfoy?"

"A little bold, aren't we, for someone who's trying to kiss _my_ girlfriend."

Hermione gasped and shot him one of the dirtiest he had ever been on the receiving end of, but he didn't completely blame her. If anything, that was a very low blow, even by Draco's standards. He smirked, very satisfied with himself however. Ron seemed to be frozen in place, and then moved. At first he looked at though he was going to punch Draco again, but he merely sighed and stormed off.

Hermione watched him go through narrowed eyes, as though she believed he was going to turn around and curse Draco from the stairwell. Then she rounded on him, and Draco braced for another slap. But she just stared at him and turned around, going to sit on her bed. Putting her head in her hands, she shook her head back and forth.

"What's wrong?"

"I had a whole speech ready to tell them about you when the time is right."

"Of course you did. I guess I beat you to the punch."

"Speaking of that, thank you for not doing it… again."

"I refrained for your sanity," Draco responded, and Hermione cracked a smile.

"It's going to be quite the week."

Draco remained silent. He heard the portrait door slam shut, signaling that the trio had now left. He had an awful feeling that Hermione wasn't going to be forgiven lightly, and that the entire school would know by the afternoon. Neither of this truly affected him, but he knew the strain would worry Hermione, which wasn't something he was trying to do. He suddenly felt like he had jumped the gun.

Suddenly, he felt Hermione push up against him, her small body hugging him tightly. He stood awkwardly and sort of patted her back, but she stopped him.

"This is for you," she said, and giggled. Draco laughed and ruffled her hair, and she reached up and kissed him.

"What for?" he asked dumbly, and she laughed, taking a hold of his fingers and playing with them lightly.

"I'm really sorry about your father, Draco."

He twitched, but didn't move away from her. Shaking his head, he sat on the bed and looked up at her, his cold steel eyes piercing her brown ones, much warmer than his. He could see the dancing light that filled them when she looked at him, and he became addicted to that look in her eyes. He pulled her close, allowing her to curl up on his lap, her lips at his neck.

"Please don't say that. As much as I am upset, you have no right to be."

"And why is that?"

"Because he wouldn't have wanted the pity from you, Hermione."

"Oh."

"I understand you're trying to be here for me. But I just want to be left alone for awhile. I don't want to talk about it. When I do, you know I'll come to you and you only," he said, caressing her chin with a stroke of his finger.

She shook her head slowly in response, as if she understood what he was going through. She reached up and mussed his hair, and then stood up slowly, going to her trunk to change. Draco left her then, knowing she'd want her privacy, and he wanted to be alone anyways. He lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

A few minutes later, Hermione crossed from her room to his, poking her head in and then entering. She sat on his bed and he looked at her intently. She had changed into regular black robes that they wore for classes. He gave her a once over and then looked back at the ceiling. She giggled nervously and coughed.

"Where you off to?" he asked.

"I was going to see Ginny and Harry," she admitted, and Draco shrugged.

"Not Ron?"

"I'd rather not see him right now," she replied. He nodded.

"I'll see you at lunch then."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Peachy," he replied dryly, and she laughed, kissing him quickly on the lips. She scampered out of the room and Draco was left to his own thoughts.

He was wondering whether he would hear from his mother or not; if she would at least tell him what had happened, or come visit him or anything. Knowingly, he guessed that she would not come and see him, but he expected an owl at least. His mother would surely know by now, especially if she was in any contact with Death Eaters, which she most likely was.

He felt like a part of him was empty; blackness, a void, was filling him slowly. The pain came on slowly as the memories played throughout his mind. The seconds, and then minutes, ticked by to the beat of Draco's heart, magnified in the silence. His brain felt as though it was playing a movie, as the scenes of his childhood, then later memories, faded in and out.

Draco couldn't wait to be numb; it was all he was wishing for at this point. He did not want to miss his father, or to feel any sort of pain or repercussions from this. Lucius would not have wanted that from his one and only son. Malfoys had been taught to be strong; magically and emotionally, and most of all, mentally. Draco had never felt this way in his entire life; helpless.

Lying on the soft bed, he pondered how his mother felt at the moment. Surely, her pain ran deeper than his. The two may been cruel, but they were both unbelievable and magnificent lovers, and had cared for each other as deeply as they had cared for Draco, and he for them. Evil so they may be by some standards, they were still human deep down. For the first time, Draco realized how truly human he was; how small and insignificant.

He could imagine the talk over the castle today; all of the panic and hysteria over the Azkaban breakout. No one would notice or care about Lucius Malfoy's death; unimportant, pushed off to the side. What was another Death Eater down? Just one step closer to ending the war that waged on horribly, while Lucius was gone forever… left to rot in the ground.

Draco couldn't put his head around the concept around it at all; never having faced such a death before, he wasn't good at coping. He merely lay on his bed, memories filling his brain and tears welling in his hard gray eyes, silently grieving alone as it should be. As slowly as the pain had come on, it slowly began to ebb away, with tears flowing freely down his pale cheeks.

Time went by slow, or fast, it didn't matter to Draco at all. He was beginning to feel the numbness he so craved coming closer to his heart, to ice away the pain he felt. The fire in his heart, made from pain, was growing to become a bigger burden, holding him down further. Not knowing when, he drifted off into nightmare infested sleep, if anything but to escape the torment of being awake.

When he woke up, the sun was streaming through the blinds angrily, forcing his to strain his eyes against the bright rays. He looked around, trying to realize why he had woken up, and then heard a thud from the bathroom. A curse, footsteps, and it went silent again. Draco swung his legs over the side of his bed and crossed the room, putting his ear to the door.

There was no sound of running water or footsteps any longer. He opened the door slowly and noticed the room was now empty. He walked across the cold tiles, bare-footed, and walked through into Hermione's room, where she was sprawled across her bed, reading the book Draco had given her for Christmas. She didn't look up immediately, though Draco was positive she knew he was there. He waited.

After a moment, a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she looked up. They locked eyes, and then she closed the volume and bounced off the bed, walking up to him. He embraced her eagerly, knowing that this was what she craved from him; reassurance.

"I didn't want to wake you up," she said, smiling apologetically, "but I dropped half of the contents of my cupboard."

"I heard," he replied, observing her curls in her hair for a moment. She seemed not to notice and pulled away from him, standing awkwardly a few inches next to him. He was more than half a foot taller than her, perhaps 7 inches or so.

"Feeling better?"

"A bit, actually." This was true; the fire in his heart had been extinguished; the cold feeling of the numbness had spread throughout his body while he had slumbered. The numb feeling was much more satisfying for Draco, so at least he could concentrate on something else.

"How did your confrontation with Scarhead go?"

She gave him a dirty look, but spoke anyways. "I didn't actually get to see him. Ginny said he was with Ron, who is refusing to come out of the dorm. So I just sat and talked to Ginny."

"About…" Draco urged impatiently.

She gave him a hard look, and his eyes diverted to the ground slowly, apparently observing the carpet. She looked back up at him after a long moment, and Draco bore his eyes into hers curiously. She blushed and looked away again before speaking.

"Just about girl stuff."

"As in what, Hermione?"

"Ginny was curious about you, is all." She blushed a deep crimson.

"About me? What about me? What did you tell her," he demanded angrily, sitting on the bed and forcing her to do so as well.

"I didn't tell her anything! She just wondered what… sleeping with you was like."

Draco cracked up. "So what did you tell her?"

"The truth! That I didn't know. She didn't believe me at first. It was a bit sad, really," she admitted.

"Would you like to find out?" he asked, running a pale hand up her leg. She slapped his hand away and giggled nervously.

"How can you be in the mood right now? Your father just died," she stated bluntly, and Draco ran a hand through his messy blonde hair.

"I'm _always_ in the mood," he assured her, letting his hand wander again up her thigh. She allowed it but locked eyes with him, her warm eyes thawing out the numbness of his heart slowly. He was afraid to feel the fire again, and he looked away.

"Good to know," she said shakily.

Draco kissed her hard, hormones beginning to course through his veins. Hermione obliged willingly, and the two crawled further onto the bed, Hermione underneath Draco's body. He propped himself with his hands while his mouth explored her mouth and neck, kissing every bit of her skin that he was able to reach. Hermione's hands were running up and down his body; from belt line to his perfectly toned abs and back again.

Rolling over, Hermione took control simply, leaving Draco's hands free to wander where they liked. They traveled inside her robes, and to his delight, she wasn't wearing Muggle clothes underneath, which was customary for girls. She smirked into his mouth, feeling his excitement, and giggled. Draco's hands crawled up her stomach to her bra, feeling her through the fabric.

Making no attempt to stop him, Hermione kissed him harder while pulling off his shirt. He gave in willingly, taking this opportunity to snake his arm around her back and unclip the bra she was wearing. She made a disproving noise, clucking her tongue, but allowed him to take it off and put it on the floor next to his shirt. Of course, her robes stayed on, and Hermione made sure his eyes were not allowed to wander.

Hands on her breasts, Draco's mouth once again found her collarbone, sucking gently on the skin there. She let out a moan and Draco flipped back on top of her; he greatly enjoyed being in control at all times. His hands dropped down to her stomach and now to her waist, playing with the top of her underwear. She gasped and pushed him off her lightly but with enough force that he got the idea.

"What did I do?" he asked, out of breath from kissing her. Hermione was panting, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide open.

"Nothing, nothing, just… no," she said simply.

"Ugh," he grumbled. "Not fair at all."

"I told you I'm not easy, Draco. We haven't even been dating 24 hours, you're lucky to have gotten what you did. If you were looking for a shag, you shouldn't have asked me out, of all people."

Draco grumbled in his head but said nothing aloud, and picked up his shirt off the ground and put it back on. Hermione put her bra back on silently, facing away from Draco. He got up from the bed and Hermione wheeled around to face him, a smile on her face. He didn't see how this was an enjoyable moment.

"I'm sorry," she said, shrugging, "but did I at least temporarily distract you?"

He contemplated for a minute. "I suppose you did," she said finally, and she kissed him again.

"Hermione," he started, and she looked back at him, a curious look in her eyes. "What did Ginny say about you and me being together?"

She seemed shocked. "Uh… well, she threatened me with a few spells before she calmed down. Honestly, she doesn't trust you at all, and thinks I'm making a really big mistake."

"Probably are," he muttered.

"Maybe, but she agrees that it's my decision to find out. And I made my decision last night, and it's final."

Draco hesitated. "Do you think it was the right one?"

She seemed torn for a moment. "We'll find out, won't we?"

--

**A/n- I was going to make this chapter longer, but I figured I can just start on the next one. Reviews!**


	11. Go on, ignore me

A/n- Hello readers

**A/n- Hello, hello. Summer's almost over. This took forever, I know. I'm busy.**

--

_Am I more than you bargained for yet  
I've been dying to tell you anything you want to hear  
Cause that's just who I am this week  
Lie in the grass, next to the mausoleum  
I'm just a notch in your bedpost  
But you're just a line in a song_

(Sugar We're Going Down, Fall Out Boy)

Chapter 11- Go on, ignore me

With the Christmas holidays behind them, classes began full throttle the next day. Hermione seemed shaken up in the morning as she got ready, almost lighting her hair on fire while trying to charm it into more manageable curls. Draco watched interestedly from his bedroom, waiting for her to be ready for the day.

Books packed, hair done, and wands in their pockets, the two headed off to breakfast. Draco was surprised that we wasn't tired, waking up so early, but then again, he had just spent a solid two weeks doing nothing but relaxing and sleeping in. Nobody looked at them funny along the way, so Draco figured that Ron, Harry, or Ginny hadn't opened their mouths to the public yet. This confused him, but he didn't mention anything to Hermione.

She reached for his hand along the way but he didn't respond and gave him a skeptical look, trying again.

"What?" he asked, giving her angry face a quick glance.

"Why won't you hold my hand?" she muttered between her teeth so no one else could hear her.

"I don't… I'm not into that," he replied quickly, looking away. He shrugged his shoulders and entered the Great Hall ahead of her, sitting at the Slytherin table and watching her make her way over to sit next to Ginny at the Gryffindor table.

He ate breakfast quietly, not looking up to see Hermione at all, whom he knew was staring at him. Feelings of doubt began to creep upon him slowly; Hermione was clearly not into the types of relationships that he was. Change was not something he was willing to accept at this point, and he wasn't sure that Hermione was going to change to his liking either. He grumbled to himself as he ate.

Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and Blaise joined him eventually, looking at him in a type of concerned manner. He hadn't been outside of the common room since they'd returned from holiday, and his reappearance at the Slytherin table had caused some murmurings.

"Sorry about your dad, mate," Blaise commented, taking a plate of food and clapping Draco on the back. Draco said nothing but nodded, swallowing his food.

"Yeah, sorry Draco," Pansy said, sitting across from Blaise. She looked at him with big eyes that looked sad, and he smiled half-heartedly.

"It's okay. Thanks you guys. How did you find out?"

Blaise was chewing so he merely passed Draco the _Daily Prophet_ from yesterday. Draco scanned the article about the Azkaban breakout, and turned the page. At the bottom of page two was a small blurb about his dad's death and speculations on what happened. The details still weren't known, according to the article, and there would be no funeral. Draco tossed the paper down the table and continued to eat. Crabbe and Goyle patted him on the back but said nothing, understanding his need for silence.

"How've you been coping Malfoy? How's the mudblood?"

Draco scowled slightly and recoiled at the word. He attempted not to use it anymore, feeling that it would hurt Hermione's feelings. The others didn't seem to notice, only waiting expectantly for his answer.

"I just sat in my room for awhile and slept. She's fine."

"By fine, you mean, not annoying anymore?"

Draco paused and shrugged. "We get along."

Pansy looked shocked and froze, the fork halfway to her mouth. It looked a little ridiculous but nobody laughed, not even Draco. Blaise snapped out of it first and chuckled, helping Pansy to put the fork back down onto the plate. Her mouth was still slightly ajar.

"What do you mean, you get along!" she sputtered.

"We don't fight… a lot, anymore. It's just easier."

"Interesting. Draco Malfoy, the mudblood lover," she sang. A few younger students looked over and gave Draco a skeptical look. Some eyes Pansy in a fearful way, as if they couldn't understand why she would say such a thing, especially about Draco Malfoy.

Draco leaned across the table and grabbed Pansy by the shirt collar, cutting off her air supply. Lately is seemed as if resorting to Muggle violence worked very well. No wizard was trained in physical combat, there being no need for it when you had a wand in your back pocket. However, Draco found it oddly satisfying. Pansy struggled for breath.

"Don't you ever say anything like that, ever again! Got it!" he snarled into her face, and she grappled with his hands to make him stop strangling her. She nodded quickly, fearfully, and Draco threw her backward, her body toppling off the bench and landing with a deep thud on the floor.

The Slytherins gasped all around the table, and every face in the Hall turned to see what happened. Of course, no one could see Pansy on the floor except the Ravenclaw table, directly next to Slytherin, but all could see Draco Malfoy's angry expression. They turned back to their food and went back to chattering. A pair of eyes stayed on Draco, however, as he headed out of the Hall.

His hands were shaking with anger, but he couldn't place why he was so angry. It was either because he had been called a 'mudblood lover', which was another word for traitor by Slytherin standards, or because she had used the word in the first place to describe Hermione. Then, for the first time since he had asked her out, it struck him; he was dating a mudblood.

This bothered him tremendously, but not because of her blood. Realization hit him as he wandered aimlessly through the hallway; he was dating someone he had fought against his entire life, and considered above his standards. His parents never kept the company of mudbloods, and expected him to do the same. He shook his head. That was just his father's rules; his mother was not as strict.

And his father was dead. There was nothing he could say to stop Draco now anyways. It was his decision, and his mind was made up. Either way, it wasn't as if this was going to last his entire life. Draco didn't plan on marrying the girl anyways. Maybe shagging her or something, but nothing too far off or anything. He shrugged his shoulders.

When he looked up, he realized that his feet had taken him to his first class; Herbology. It was drizzling so he stepped underneath the protection of the green house and waited for the class to arrive and begin.

He saw Hermione arrive with Harry and Ron but thought it better not to say anything to her while she was with her friends, but she flashed him a smile and he winked back. He figured they would catch up after class, since she seemed like she was dying to ask him about the scene over breakfast. Smiling to himself, he felt an inner happiness; Hermione would be very pleased at anything that caused pain to Pansy Parkinson.

The day passed by slowly. Whenever Draco sought out Hermione, she was with her friends, and made no attempt to draw herself away from that. This angered Draco a bit, but he knew that she had a logical explanation for it either way. He entertained himself by doodling in his classes; Blaise was ignoring him for what he did to Pansy, since the two were still an item.

After classes, Draco headed to the common room to do his homework, but mainly to see Hermione. He was going to demand an explanation for why she was ignoring him, but he thought he had an idea why. He worked on some homework until dinnertime, went to dinner, and came back. No sign of Hermione, not even during dinner. They must have missed each other.

Later that night, after Draco had completed all of the assignments given today, which was a considerable amount, Hermione entered the room. She seemed in good spirits and dropped her bag on the floor next to Draco's, sitting on his lap eagerly.

"Hey," she greeted, kissing him on the lips. He responded energetically and the two snogged for a long minute, and then Draco pulled away.

"Where have you been all night?"

"In the Gryffindor common room with Ginny and Harry. Ron still won't talk to me."

"Interesting. Potter and Weasel junior are, though?"

"Enough with the nicknames," she scolded, "but yes, they are. Harry isn't taking it very lightly though. I have a feeling that Ginny put him up to it."

"You never hang out with them," he commented, and she frowned.

"Yes, but I have to prove to them that they're still important to me. I don't want them to think I'm ditching them for you, or anything."

"But you are."

"I am not, stop it."

Draco scowled but chose not to respond, feeling that this could turn into an argument. Hermione got off of him and pulled out her Charms book and some parchment, presumably to do her homework. Draco handed her his work, and she looked at it stupidly.

"Oh no, it's fine. I can do it on my own. What happened with Pansy this morning anyways? I never got a chance to ask."

Draco took back the homework sheet, smirking, and placed it in his bag. "Oh, that? That was nothing."

"You shoved her off the table."

"Yes. And…"

"So, why? I didn't think you were the type to hit a girl."

"I didn't _hit _her. I simply threw her off the table. And I had every right to. She insulted my pride."

"Did she? By saying what."

Draco paused. "That I was a mudblood lover."

Hermione clucked her tongue. "Interesting. Why'd she say something like that?"

"Because I told everyone at the table that you and I got along better now. Look, it's no big deal. I just lost my temper."

"I think it's a big deal."

"It's not," he snapped.

"You're ashamed that I'm a muggleborn, aren't you?"

"Stop it. That has nothing to do with it." He bit his lip.

"So why would you get upset if she called you a mudblood lover? You're dating a muggleborn, Draco."

Draco felt like he was going to snap. Hermione was laying out all of his doubts and fears on the table, for him to see, and he didn't know what to say or do. He knew that she was going to be hurt if he spoke his true feelings on the matter, but in the back of his mind, he found it unfair to her not to let her know how he actually viewed the situation. Either way, it wasn't making for a very happy Hermione.

"I know, I know. Stop. We're not talking about this anymore."

Hermione frowned and got up, slamming the book shut and packing it in her book bag quickly. She gave Draco a final look of disgust and headed upstairs, slamming the door closed to her room at the top. Draco eyed it anxiously.

"Girls," he muttered.

--

"Morning," Draco greeted Hermione as she walked down the steps, still grumpy from last night's argument. She didn't seem interested, however, as she brushed by him towards the door.

"Hermione, what the hell."

"Oh? You're talking to me? I didn't think you would, since I'm a mudblood and all." She continued on her way to the portrait door.

Draco jogged up behind her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to face him. Her eyes were sharp and warned him to back away, but he didn't want to. Hermione was the one person he felt he had right now, and he actually found that he was upset that he had offended her in any way. That meant he would have to change his perspective, but a tugging sensation inside him told him it was a good thing.

"Can you stop? I'm-I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for Draco?"

"I…er… whatever it is that I did to hurt you?" he guessed, and she gave him a dirty look. She turned back to the portrait door, when it opened in front of her. Draco's hand was still on her wrist.

Ginny walked through the door and almost smashed right into Hermione, who stepped back so Ginny could enter unharmed. She glanced at Hermione and scanned Draco for a minute, and then noticed Draco touching her. She shivered and looked back up at him before turning on Hermione.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked in a deadly voice. Hermione glared at Draco, freed her hand, and stepped through the portrait hole.

"No, you aren't." She walked away, and Ginny raised her eyebrows at Draco before following her. Draco sighed, grabbed his bag, and followed suit.

One thing that Draco knew was that it was going to be another long day during classes. He found is pointless to try to talk to Hermione, as she kept close by her friends' sides all day. He growled when he watched at lunch as Ron flirted shamelessly with her. Of course, she denied him anything, even a bit of flirting, but it still made Draco clench his fists.

He caught her up straight after their last class of the day, Transfiguration, and she seemed in a much better mood. They walked back to the common room together, although not speaking, but Hermione had a smile planted on her face. He grabbed her hand cautiously, and it was a tense moment while she contemplated if this was okay by her. A moment later, they intertwined fingers, and Draco smirked in success.

Once in the common room, Draco let their hands drop and Hermione rounded on him, her expression very serious.

"Do you owe me another apology?" she demanded, and he winced at her tone.

"Uh… yes. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Being ashamed at the fact that you're a mud- I mean, muggleborn," he mumbled.

"And…"

"And for not sticking up for you."

"Good. You're forgiven."

Draco smiled, actually smiled, and pulled her closed to his body. Her tiny frame snuggled up close to his strong figure, and his lips found her forehead. He wasn't sure where he had learned to be so cuddly and boyfriend-ish, but somehow he knew what to do. She sighed in his arms and then the two backed up, Hermione shaking her head. Her eyes seemed glazed over.

"What's wrong?" he asked, following her to the couch and armchairs, where she pulled out homework. Draco groaned; their homework load was incredible again.

"Nothing. I missed you all day."

"That's you punishment for ignoring me, then," he said, satisfied, and she scowled in his direction. He smirked in return.

"Maybe if you weren't an arse all the time."

"Well, I'm sorry, but my friends aren't very accepting when it comes to you and muggleborns. It's a difficult place to be in. You'd hardly understand, Hermione."

"You're just upset because they'll call you a traitor and the girls won't fawn over you anymore."

"Oh, they'd still fawn over me, trust me." He chuckled and she frowned. "Not that I'd care, of course. And as for the traitor part, it's very true, and I don't want to have to sit at a table full of angry Slytherins for half a year."

She grumbled. "Good point. Don't you think when they find out about us that they'll be just as upset."

Draco straightened up. "Perhaps. The Malfoy name still commends a certain respect in Slytherin. If I tell them the right way…"

"Meaning, if you tell them that we're shagging?"

"Precisely."

"But then you'd be lying."

Draco barked a laugh. "Oh no, I won't be, trust me."

Hermione glowered at him angrily. "Really now? We'll see about that."

"Indeed, we shall."

There was a knock on the portrait door before Hermione could come back with anything witty to say in return to Draco's comment. Smirking at his success, he got up to receive the visitor at the door. With his luck lately, it'd be McGonagall to tell him his mother had perished as well. When the portrait door swung open, it was indeed Professor McGonagall.

"Not my mother, right?" he said quickly, and McGonagall shook her head and bustled into the room.

"No, no, Mr. Malfoy. But your mother has contacted you via a letter. We had to check it of course, security reasons. Here it is."

Draco was handed a piece of parchment, folded into thirds. He sat on the couch and stared at it anxiously, as if he couldn't bear to read its' contents. McGonagall was still standing by the door, looking at Draco curiously. She cleared her throat and he looked up.

"I'll be going now. Your mother, in the letter, expresses wishes to see you. The arrangements, as described, will be made available to you. I must go. Goodbye."

Hermione urged him to open the letter as McGonagall closed the door to their common room. His fingers, clumsy by anticipation, slipped on the edges as he hastily opened the parchment. His eyes scanned over the letter excitedly, so that he didn't soak up anything he read the first time. Hermione was over his shoulder, mouthing the words as she read them. Draco had to read them twice for everything to sink in.

_Dear Draco, _she wrote, _I've just received the news about your father and responded as quickly as I could make possible. Ab has just arrived where I am, and wishes to speak with you immediately. Hopefully, it'll be possible for all of us to get together as a family. I'd like you to speak to the Headmistress about seeing myself and the family in Hogsmeade the day after next. Do not sent return owl. Just be there, my son. Love – Narcissa_

When Draco finished reading, he sighed.

"Whose Ab?" Hermione asked, cutting the silence in the room. Draco wheeled to face her.

"Auntie Bellatrix. She didn't want McGonagall to figure it out. I doubt she did. We have an uncle in our family named Albert, she probably thinks my mother means him."

"Interesting…"

"What's that look for?" he asked, since Hermione seemed angry and scared at the same time.

"Bellatrix is your aunt. It's just so… different. You know I hang out with people who want her dead. She killed Harry's godfather, Draco."

"I know, but I can't help the family I have. She may not even be there. I'm her favorite out of the family anyways, she adores me."

"I can't imagine that," she replied, shuddering.

"Then don't. I'm a little nervous to see my mother, you know."

"Really? I thought you loved your mother."

"Oh, I do. I just… the last time I saw her, I was with my father… I don't know. Sorry to bring it up." She sighed. She got up and moved closer to him, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"I'd go with you if I could, but we know that's impossible. But I'll be here when you get back, if that helps at all?"

"It does, a bit. If you could be in my bed when I get back, that'll be fabulous."

"Alright, let's not push it."

Draco sighed, and shook his head, but Hermione smiled. He got up, holding her close still, and laid her down on the couch. She slid in next to her, put his arms around her, and closed his eyes. She moved around a bit until she was facing him, and he peeked an eye open. She giggled.

"What are you doing?" she asked playfully, running her fingers through streaks of his blonde hair. He smacked them away, since he hated when people touched his hair.

"Sleeping. Shhh," he encouraged, and she laughed but fell silent. The two fell asleep together.

--

**A/n- This was a bit longer than expected. Whatever. And the real plot begins to unfold next chapter, along with of course, more of the romance. Reviews would be awesome.**


	12. Intimate

A/n- You guys wanted more, so, here we gooo

**A/n- It's been forever since I last updated. I'm aware. School has started and it's very stressful. But here we are.**

--

_And I would still cherish every moment  
And when I start to build my future she's the main component  
Call it dumb call it luck call it love or whatever you call it but  
Everywhere I go I keep her picture in my wallet like here  
Take a look at my girlfriend; she's the only one I got  
Not much of a girlfriend; I never seem to get a lot_

(Cupid's Chokehold, Gym Class Heroes)

Chapter 12: Intimate

Draco awoke to the twitching of Hermione's body next to his. He groaned and tried to roll over but Hermione was too close to him, and there was no way to move. Groaning again and blinking the sleep from his eyes, he saw that Hermione was now doing the same. She didn't seem all too pleased, and Draco knew Hermione was grumpy in the morning often times.

The two teens detangled themselves from each other and Draco smiled sheepishly. They had spent the entire night on the couch with each other, which was something Draco had never done before. It was usually a late night sneak back to his own bed, or waking up after a great shag next to some girl's bare body.

Hermione yawned, rolling her neck to loosen it up. Draco could feel a small amount of pain in his back from the awkward position they had slept in. Hermione was looking at her wrinkled robes in disgust, but Draco looked flawless in his long shorts and t-shirt. Smirking at her, he winked before heading upstairs to grab first shower privilege.

An hour later, the two still hadn't spoken, although there had been a lot of rushing around, trying to get rid of the cricks in their bodies and loosen up before classes.

"We honestly look like we spent the whole night shagging," Draco muttered after charming his teeth clean. He smiled awkwardly into the mirror to see how they looked, and then turned to Hermione, who was attempting to manage her hair without magic.

"You wish," Hermione retorted, giving up and charming it into bouncy curls.

"Maybe so," he whispered into her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist at the same time. She enjoyed the embrace for a moment before jabbing him in the gut and escaped the grip. She pranced away to grab her books, and the two headed out the door.

On the way, Hermione seemed edgy and distance, and though he held her hand like she requested, he still felt disconnected. Before entering the Great Hall, they unclasped hands but Hermione drew him aside.

"I'd like you to stick up for me, if anything is said today," she stated clearly, one hand on her hip. "You can tell them whatever excuse you'd like, lie if you wish, but I'd like them to know partially what's going between the two of us."

Draco thought about this for a second, and nodded his head. "Alright. See you in class." He swooped down and gave her a kiss on the lips swiftly and entered the Hall in front of her.

Sitting down at the table across from Blaise as usual, he noted that Pansy was giving him the evil eye as he piled sausages and bacon onto his plate. In fact, he noticed a lot of Slytherins eying him and whispering. He smirked back at them before taking a bite of his sausage and turning to the two Slytherins in front of him.

"What's with the looks?" he asked cheerily, suddenly feeling as though he was channeling Hermione's never dampening spirit.

Pansy cleared her throat but said nothing, choosing instead to huff at him and look away at Blaise for help. He shrugged his shoulders and took a bite before saying anything. When he spoke, he didn't meet Draco's ice blue eyes with his deep brown ones.

"Oh, it's just, some Slytherins are spreading some rumor around about you." He took a deep breath but Draco urged him onward.

"Well, what did the snakes say?"

"That you… er… mate, you know, we won't believe it unless it's from you… it's just that they said that you were… holding hands with Hermione Granger yesterday, or something." He gulped as though he were afraid he may be punched next.

Draco coughed, which he quickly turned into a short barking laugh. "Guilty." He held up his hands. Pansy was gaping at him.

"Holding hands with a _mudblood_?" she whispered angrily, her teeth gritted.

"Well, you have to be nice to them to shag them!" he exclaimed, slapping a high five with Blaise, who was thoroughly amused.

"Mate, you definitely pick the weird ones," Blaise said, chuckling a bit. Draco smirked and leaned closer.

"Well, it has its ups and downs. For one, she lives in my dorm. What's better than that?" he asked gleefully, and Blaise's smile widened even more. "For the down side, the Golden Trio doesn't like the loss of its third member." He nodded towards the Gryffindor table.

Pansy still looked highly disgusted, but Draco assumed this was just jealousy on her part, and shrugged it off. Swallowing his last bite of food, he got up and stretched. The Slytherins, assuming their doubts were wrong, had gone back to their own chattering. Winking at Blaise, Draco headed over to the Gryffindor table. Professor McGonagall straightened up in her chair, as though expecting trouble.

Draco loped off to the Gryffindor table, taking in the stares he received. Some of the girls had dreamy expression planted on their faces, and Draco smirked and winked at some of the good looking ones. When he reached Hermione's table, she hastily got up, saying goodbye to her friends.

Draco smiled at her and she shot him a dirty look, as though questioning his nerve, and the two headed out of the Hall without looking at anyone. Blaise cat-called before they exited through the double doors, Pansy cackling next to him. Hermione rounded on him immediately.

"You lied, didn't you?"

"'Course I did," he said matter-of-factly, but Hermione cracked a smile.

"Whatever makes you –and them- sleep better at night," she commented, leading him off to their next class, Herbology. She seemed highly annoyed at the possibility of peoples believing she was sleeping with Draco.

"You'd better pray to Merlin that your little friends don't start spreading rumors about us," she started, and Draco chuckled.

"Would that be bad?"

Hermione shot him a stern look. "Extremely. I have no doubt that Harry and Ron would personally murder you."

"I'm quivering in fear," he replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes, ignoring Hermione's raised eyebrows. She seemed unconvinced so he ruffled her hair for a second and gave a helpful smile, and she shook her head and smiled.

In Herbology, they got split into groups to plant some seedlings which would be helpful in potions for the hospital wing. Hermione and Draco weren't together, but Draco could see her eyes planted on him the entire time. Some of the Gryffindors were giving Draco odd looks as their eyes passed between him and Hermione. He smirked while potting a plant, not looking at anyone in particular.

The rest of the day was uneventful; the rumors about Draco and Hermione made their rounds around the school so quickly that by dinner time, every student had been told the same rumor by several different people. After dinner, Hermione looked particularly harassed, as she had to spend an entire meal with Ron staring daggers at her. Apparently, he hadn't taken the news lightly.

In a huff, she rushed out of the Great Hall without waiting for Draco, who looked up as he finished his meal. Laughing, he got up from his classmates and followed her at a leisurely pace, knowing that either way, she was going to be in a bad mood. When he entered the portrait door, she was waiting for him.

She stomped her foot and Draco laughed, drawing her closer to her body. At first, he though she was crying, but she was just pressed against his body tightly, allowing him to comfort her. He lead her back to the couch and the two sat there in silence for a few moments before Draco drew up the courage to speak to her.

"Are you angry with me?"

"A bit, yes," she admitted, looking at his gray eyes. He clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"I don't see why, you told me to lie."

"I said you _could_ lie. I didn't really want you to though. Now look what your friends have done!"

Draco sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Is it so bad that people believe we're shagging?"

She paused, seemingly contemplating what to say. "It's not that. It's just the fact that we aren't, and now people think I'm some kind of… tramp, or something. And it's all for nothing, because I'm not even sleeping with you!"

"Yes, well…"

"And," she interrupted, "it's even worse because you're acting like a little hero, like it's some sort of… amazing feat to get into my pants."

"Well, isn't it?" he asked, smirking at her and raising his eyebrows confidently.

Hermione swore under her breath and went red. "You aren't the first to have done it," she countered, mumbling so Draco had to lean close to hear it.

"Really now? Well, that's a shock Granger."

"We clearly don't know much about each other."

"I suppose we don't."

Hermione stalled for a moment. "I think that we rushed into this," she replied slowly, as if the words didn't want to roll off her tongue.

"Well, it's a little late now. Either way, the rumors aren't going to go away."

"It's not about the rumors!" she exclaimed, frustrated. "It's about the fact that we still don't know a lot about each other. Yes, I tell you my problems, and vice versa, but other than that, we know nothing! I find it hard to become emotionally attached to someone I know nothing about!"

"That's a bad thing?" He realized too late that this was something he should not have said.

She gaped at him, open-mouthed. "Excuse me?"

"Er… Sorry? That came out wrong."

"I guess so," she said, turning her back on him and heading upstairs.

"Hermione, wait!"

"Why, so you can have a quickie before I go to bed angry at you?"

"That's… not… what?" he sputtered.

"I want space," she clarified, and went upstairs to bed.

--

The next morning at breakfast, Draco was being constantly barraged by Slytherins asking him all sorts of questions. Whether he and Hermione were an item; what was she like in bed; when did this start; how often? He was thoroughly annoyed and started ignoring everybody except Pansy, Blaise, and Nott, whom had started hanging out with them more often.

"So, what's up with you and the mudblood anyways?" Pansy asked, biting into a piece of toast. Draco took this time to look over at Hermione, who was laughing at something Ginny had said. She didn't look his way.

"_Hermione_," he stressed, "and what do you mean?"

"Whatever Draco, she's still not a pureblood."

"I didn't say she was, just don't call her that," he said irritably, piercing his sausage a few times before putting it in his mouth. "So what about me and Granger?"

"What's going on between the two of you now? Yesterday, she was like, googley-eyed at you, and today she's ignoring you."

"We had a row," he explained simply, trying not to think about it. For some reason, it bothered him that they had already begun to fight. He was beginning to concoct a way to make her less angry with him; a way to settle both of their needs.

"That's not surprising," Nott chimed in, and Draco turned to look at him.

"Why's that?"

"Well, I mean, look at the two of you. You're completely opposite in some ways, and then exactly the same. It's sort of weird. But it doesn't surprise me that the two of you are fighting. She's a girl, mate."

"How are we… opposite, but the same?" he asked slowly, trying to comprehend what Nott was trying to say.

Blaise interjected. "She's smart and so are you. You're both top in the year, that's for sure. Both of you hide your emotions from everybody else. You've got secrets that you tell barely anyone, and that's how you two connect. She's bloody hot, and, don't take it from me, but the girl's think the same of you. Both naturally dominant; know-it-alls…"

"Okay I get it!" Draco exclaimed, cutting him off.

"And as for opposites," Nott continued, "you're a pureblood, she's a muggleborn. You're rich, she's not. You're a Slytherin, she's a Gryffindor. Her friends are out to save the wizarding world; half of yours want to destroy it. She's nice and you're a bastard. Should I go on?"

"I get it, Nott, thanks."

"But you know what they say, opposites attract," he finished.

"Are you condoning their relationship?" Pansy shrieked, apparently horrified by the mere idea of it.

"I'm just saying…" Nott trailed off.

"We're not getting bloody married, Merlin's beard," Draco replied, shaking his head. Blaise was silently guffawing next to Pansy, who hit him hard on the shoulder.

"Guys, back off Malfoy for a little. He's stressed out," Blaise said cautiously, knowing what Draco got like when he was angry.

Draco mumbled his thanks to Blaise and pushed his plate away from him, suddenly not hungry. Getting up, he headed towards the doors, not looking back at Hermione, whom he was sure was still very angry with him. The couple hadn't spoken to each other all morning while getting dressed, and Draco had a feeling that she was simply going to ignore him for awhile.

At the end of classes, Draco sought out Professor McGonagall to make arrangements to see his mother the following day in Hogsmeade. He was worried particularly about seeing his Aunt Bellatrix, not knowing exactly what she wanted from him. In the back of his head, he had a sick feeling it wasn't pleasant, most likely something about the Dark Lord.

McGonagall cleared his plans to see his mother privately at a tavern she was staying in at Hogsmeade tomorrow, and his stomach lurched uncomfortably as he thought about it. Feeling a bout of sadness settling in, he rushed back to his dormitory, ready to fix things with Hermione. Draco knew that she had been planning on a late dinner after watching Harry and Ron play quidditch, so he had to get started before it was much too late and he missed her. This gave him about two hours to make his arrangements perfect.

First, he headed down to the kitchens and told the house elves to prepare a dinner for two in the Heads' dorms, complete with candles, a nice tablecloth, and some Firewhiskey. After that was squared away, he went upstairs and rushed through his homework, knowing Hermione would already have completed hers. The elves came upstairs and set up while he worked, and informed him when everything was done. He told them to leave the food, hot, on the table while he was gone.

Jumping the stairs a few at a time, he took a few shortcuts and ended up in the entrance hall. He was in luck; Hermione and her friends were just walking through the doors, chatting excitedly on their way to dinner. Ginny spotted him first and nudged Hermione, winking to her before she towed Harry off, leaving just Hermione and Ron. The sight of Draco seemed to make Ron clench his fists tightly so he became a bit red in the face. Draco smirked and walked closer.

Hermione took in his appearance, which was very sophisticated for school. He had brought out a pair of black slacks and a silk button down shirt, still relatively right on him. His hair was brushed to perfection and his grey eyes sparkled with anticipation. Surprised, Hermione blushed a light pink and Ron blinked a few times before shrugging. He walked away with no word to Hermione, whose eyes never left Draco's face. His hands deep in his pockets, he shrugged as well and smiled.

"Would you mind if I escorted you to your dinner?" he asked politely, and Hermione blushed a deeper red. Several students were peeking out from around the Great Hall doors, murmuring to one another. The Slytherins had looks of pure disgust on their faces.

"Upstairs?" she said faintly, but Draco just led the way up the stairs quietly. They held hands for the majority of the trip, until Draco opened the door carefully to their room.

Hermione gasped in delight, it seemed to Draco, when she saw what he had done for her. Draco pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down, trying to remember how to breathe correctly. Draco sat across from her and looked down at his plate, which was filled with breakfast foods.

"Breakfast?" she asked, laughing a bit. A smile tugged at the corners of Draco's lips.

"First thing you need to know about me: breakfast is my favorite meal of the day."

Hermione nodded absently from her chair, as she had already started into her stack of pancakes. Draco realized too late that Firewhiskey wasn't an appropriate drink, but Hermione wasn't all too fussed on drinking it anyways, as she quickly told Draco.

"First thing you need to know about me, Draco: I am as good as I seem." Draco chuckled at that.

"We'll see. I have some corrupting to do, it seems." Hermione didn't answer him, but took a big bite of sausage.

The rest of the dinner passed quietly, as Draco was absorbed in his thoughts and his breakfast/dinner event. Hermione seemed to enjoy herself, although she didn't speak at all and seemed highly distracted. Most likely, she was wondering what was going to happen next, since she hadn't planned on Draco to do anything like this, and was no longer very angry at him. It dawned on Draco just then that perhaps he had stunned Hermione by being so much like a gentleman, and he was surprised to find that he enjoyed the feeling.

When the two were finished, Draco had a house elf come and clean up their plates and things. Hermione insisted upon helping, telling Draco that it wasn't kind to allow house elves to act as slaves. Draco tried without any success to tell Hermione that the elves liked it, and in the end, he gave up, frustrated, and let her help the elf. When she was down cleaning up, they sat on the couch to talk.

For awhile, it was very simple things. Draco was using this time to get to know Hermione a bit more closely than he would have expected. The two went back and forth with easy questions, such as pets, family members, old friends, favorites, and the like. Some of Hermione's answers surprised him, but after awhile, he was used to strange things coming out of her mouth.

"So… moving on?" Draco suggested, and Hermione smiled.

"Yes. You can ask me something more personal if you'd like."

"Okay… so tell me what you meant about… you not being as… sexually inexperienced as I would have thought." Draco cleared his throat, but his eyes were anxious with anticipation for her answer.

Hermione blushed for the first time since the scene in the Entrance Hall. Draco's previous questions hadn't been so direct and prying, and Hermione realized that she wished she hadn't asked him to delve deeper. Draco encouraged her with a smile, and she spoke.

"Well, how much do you want to know?"

"Everything, minus the grimy details." He shuddered.

"Over the summer… Ron and I… were together, obviously. And we ended up sleeping together. Once." She avoided Draco's eyes.

"Only once?"

"Yes, just once. My first time, and his."

"Interesting," was all Draco could say. Hermione seemed nervous.

"Jealous?"

"Never!" he scoffed. He was more disgusted than anything, although he would never admit anything like that to Hermione. She would be angry with him for saying something like that. But, deep down, he could feel the jealousy. He didn't want anyone else touching Hermione. She was his to shag now.

"So what do you think about that, then?" she asked quietly.

"I think… he's a lucky boy." He laughed. "Seriously, I didn't expect it… but I'm happy that you'd gotten your first time over with."

"Why's that?"

"I have standards, woman!" he said. She looked angry, but he laughed to show that he was joking. Well, he was half joking. She didn't need to know that though.

"Well, he all know your standards," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Oh come on," she said to his dirty look, "Pansy Parkinson? I mean, Melana is half good looking at least. But Pansy? Ugh, get some taste Draco."

Draco brushed that off completely, choosing not to fight over his choice of women with her. "I chose you, didn't I?"

"Best decision of your life," she said, laughing.

The sexual conversation ended right there, Draco recognizing that Hermione had closed the discussion. He was certainly interested in finding out what Hermione was capable, but he also was aware that Hermione was not easy. She and Ron had been on the verge of a relationship since they were about 13 years old. Fortunately for Hermione, Draco was now willing to wait in order to find out.

"Your turn to ask something more personal, I guess," Draco said. Truthfully, Draco wasn't very good with talking all the time. Although he was more open with Hermione than he had been with any other person before, he still didn't feel very comfortable with sharing his secrets and feelings. However, he could be a decent listener when he had to be.

"Okay. Your dad was obviously… a death eater. Is that in your… plans? Please be honest with me."

"My plans? No. But it's not my decision either way. So that's irrelevant. It is, however, in the Dark Lord's plans, I believe. Honestly, I think Aunt Bellatrix wants to see me about joining him. It's a possibility. I don't know for sure exactly what's going to happen."

"So, if that were the care… if she wanted you to join… would you?"

"I don't have a choice, Hermione. Once you're signed up, it's a lifetime of service. The Dark Lord doesn't say no."

She gulped. "Okay." Then, "Are you scared?"

She sighed and looked away, running a pale hand through his hair, still straight from earlier. He couldn't look into her eyes, afraid that he may betray any of his emotions. Of course, when he was younger, this had been exactly what he wanted. Draco wanted to feed confident and excited to join the Dark Lord, but he didn't. He was dreading having to face that possibility, and was unsure if he could accomplish it.

"Scared? No. Dreading the possibility? Yes. It's not something… I would choose for myself."

"I think that's all I want to know." Draco desperately wished he could be inside of Hermione's head right now. She seemed so calm and collected, as if it didn't matter, but of course, it did.

"Hermione, you can't run off and tell Harry or anybody this. They could take me away. They could hurt my mother…"

"I'm not going to tell anyone unless it gets out of hand. You trust me, don't you?" she asked, annoyed.

He paused. "I suppose so, yes. I'm just not ready to lose any more family members because of this war."

"Yes, well, no one wants that Draco."

Draco kissed her deeply, wanting to feel some sort of spark from her. Her touch electrified him, and he could tell that she trusted him much more now. She was more careless and less cautious, allowing him to run his hands over her body without protest. Smiling into her lips, he pulled away. For tonight, he would stop and hope for the best.

"Closer?" he asked, and she cuddled into him.

"Just enough."

--

**Sorry that took so long. Reviews? –Begs-.**


	13. The Dark Lord

A/n- Definitely on a writing spree now

**A/n- Definitely on a writing spree now. Getting into the groove. Reviews are cool, yo.**

--

_The 7 things I hate about you  
You're vain, your games, you're insecure  
You love me, you like her  
You make me laugh, you make me cry  
I don't know which side to buy  
Your friends they're jerks  
When you act like them, just know it hurts  
I wanna be with the one I know  
And the 7th thing I hate the most that you do  
You make me love you_

(7 Things, Miley Cyrus)

Chapter 13: The Dark Lord

The following morning was spent in a rush for Draco. Hermione woke up him up earlier than usual so he could get up and get going, since he often dragged himself around before classes. As he was fully waking up, he went over exactly what needed to be done before he left for Hogsmeade. Hermione had suggested that she could accompany him, at least to the gates of the village, but Draco had refused. He wouldn't risk his Aunt getting any glimpses of Hermione, or their relationship.

When he finally rolled out of bed, the process began. With Hermione's help and critique, he picked out some nice clothes to wear into town. He decided on his best black cloak, which was significantly more expensive than anything Hermione owned, to wear on the outside. The wind and snow was dreadful around Hogwarts, and the temperature thus had dropped dramatically. Underneath, he would wear his nicest pair of khaki pants, which Hermione had approved of. A white button up shirt and a tie later, and his outfit was completely.

"Do I have to wear the tie?" he complained, tugging at his collar.

Hermione straightened it quickly, folding down his collar and looking it over for a second. "Stop fussing, it looks nice."

Draco groaned but said nothing, knowing that this was an argument he would not win. Hermione had encouraged him to look nice, since appearance was important in such matters. Draco, on the other hand, knew that what he was wearing would not affect the outcome of this meeting or any other meetings he would have in the future. Malfoys always dressed properly, no matter what the circumstance. This formal attire was expected of him.

After getting dressed, he and Hermione went down to breakfast. Hermione seemed content with their present situation, although they did get some whispers a few stares on the way into the Great Hall. Since they were very early, not many people were eating breakfast. Skipping off to the Gryffindor table, Hermione sat among some younger classmates of hers that Draco didn't know. He joined Nott at the Slytherin table.

"Morning," he greeted Nott, who grunted and nodded, his mouth full. Draco wasn't in the mood for small talk; for some reason, he was a bit nervous about the day, more so than the day before.

"How'd your meal with Granger go last night?" Nott asked after a few minutes of silence. Draco shrugged.

"Pretty well, I'd say."

That was it for conversation. Draco liked that about Nott; he wasn't very prying when he knew somebody felt uncomfortable. He had always been the quieter type of kid. Draco had known him before Hogwarts, since their fathers were both Death Eaters.

Breakfast eaten and over with, Draco exited the Hall and went upstairs to get his cloak, some money, and his wand. On his way upstairs, he saw most of the students lazily making their way downstairs, their eyes baggy and clothes ruffled, bags slung over their shoulder untidily. Once he had made his way into his room, he grabbed a few galleons and his wand, placing both in his cloak pocket, fastened neatly on him.

Hermione entered his room as he turned to leave. A smile spread on her face, and she blushed for some reason. Draco walked up to her and she flew into his arms happily. Not sure what her good mood was about, he was naturally skeptical regarding it. Hesitantly, he kissed her forehead and watched her eyes trail up his face to meet his. The chocolate brown of her eyes mesmerized him for a moment, and then he blinked and looked away.

When he looked down, Hermione reached up and kissed him deeply. Draco staggered back for a second, reacting to her arms being locked around his neck. She could barely reach, and Draco picked her up. She squealed a bit, but then locked lips with Draco again. He led her back to his bed, laying her gently onto his mattress, falling softly on top of her.

Their lips never broke contact as positioned himself on top of her small body, the heat radiating from him in waves onto her frail body. She was gasping for air between long, hot kisses from Draco, his tongue entering her mouth easily and exploring, Hermione's tongue following suit. So into this kissing was that he didn't realize for a few minutes that he was going to be late if he didn't get going soon.

Pulling away reluctantly, he gave her chaste kisses as he backed off of her, Hermione's eyes still closed tightly. He hands detangled themselves from his blonde hair and she blinked her eyes opened, smiling. Cheeks flushed red, she shook her head to clear it and stood up next to him, giggling a bit. Draco smoothed his hair, making it lie flat, and lifted Hermione's chin for one last kiss. It was a long one, and when he pulled away, she looked him in the eyes again before he turned to leave.

"I'll be back before dinner," he stated, fixing his cloak fastening.

"Should I wait for you?" she asked, ruffling her curls a bit. Draco paused at the door.

"If you'd like. Whatever is best for you," he answered, and headed down the stairs. She yelled a goodbye, which echoed down the stairs as he walked. He smiled despite himself, and headed out into the castle.

The wind was cold as he swept across the grounds towards Hogsmeade. Accustomed to the normal ride by carriage to the village, he settled himself in for a decent walk. He enjoyed the fall scenery, as it reminded him of the Manor back home when he was a child. Digging his hands deeper into his pockets, he found himself wishing he had thought of gloves. Picking up his pace, in a few moments he saw the entrance to the small village, and hurried to make it to the tavern.

Once he reached the tavern, he was relieved to be out of the cold and wind. His cheeks were flushed worse than Hermione's after a snogging session, and his hair was frazzled right to the roots. He laughed and quickly charmed his appearance back to normal, hanging up his cloak on the coat hanger.

The tavern owner showed him upstairs to a private room, where he knew his mother and Aunt would be waiting for his arrival. Shooing away the owner, who was going to offer drinks, Draco stood alone outside the door contemplating what to say or how to act. His stomach twisted in an unusual way. He realized he was nervous, and gripped his wand inside his cloak pocket. Taking a deep breath, he knocked upon the wooded door and entered without consent.

"Draco!" his mother shrieked, throwing her arms around him and hugging him closely before the door had even been shut. He was forced into a very tight embrace, in which they swayed awkwardly on the spot for a second before she let go and backed up.

"Hello mother," he greeted, nodding appropriately.

"You seem winded son, take a seat," she offered, showing him to a homely looking armchair. He looked around and finally spotted his Aunt Bellatrix, sitting in the corner.

"Thanks mother. Hello Auntie Bellatrix," he said cordially, sitting on the chair, which was oddly comfortable. His mother sat at the table next to Bellatrix, who was poring over some time of letter it seemed.

"So darling, how's school been?" his mother asked kindly, sipping a cup of tea. Draco was thirsty and wished an elf would come along to take his order. He suddenly wished he hadn't sent the tavern owner away.

"School has been alright. How are things with you?"

"As well as to be expected, I suppose," she answered, looking away from Draco. It was easy to tell that she was upset; her appearance looked less put together and her eyes were still bloodshot and a bit baggy underneath.

"What are you looking at Auntie Bellatrix?" he asked, feeling childish as he called her his 'Auntie'.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up. "This? It's just a letter from Snape."

"Oh," was all Draco could say. He was taught from a very young age not to meddle in things that concerned his parents. Although he was already the age of a consenting adult in the wizarding world, often times he was treated like a child, especially by his doting mother.

"So how's Pansy, Draco?" his mother interjected, and Bellatrix put away the letter to listen in.

"I dumped her," he said. His forehead wrinkled a bit, scared stiff of what he may say that would lead his aunt or mother to question anything further than necessary.

"Why? She's so wonderful!" Narcissa exclaimed, shocked.

"Cissy, are you crazy with grief or what? That girl looks like a little pug! Rotten to the core, her whole family. No, no, not for my Draco. I'm sure there's another girl more suitable for you."

"Lucius had his heart determined on these two getting married," Narcissa pointed out.

"But he's dead, is he not?" Bellatrix interjected. "The point it, she's not nearly pretty enough for Draco. Draco, you choose any witch you deem appropriate. Of course, a pureblood that is."

"Obviously," Draco said, gulping. He changed the subject. "And mother, I dumped her because she's annoying, and a little bit of a tramp."

"Pansy is not a tramp. I don't think that's very nice of you Draco."

"Yes she is! Mother, she was sleeping around with my best friend while we were supposedly dating. Granted, I ignored her existence…"

"You're not much of a gentleman, are you Draco?" she asked coldly. Draco smirked.

"Oh, shush Cissy. He's a teenage boy with hormones. Parkinson probably couldn't satis—"

"Enough!" Narcissa shouted, cutting off Bellatrix's statement. Draco blushed a light pink and looked away from his Aunt, who was grinning maliciously. This conversation had definitely taken an awkward turn.

"Draco, why don't we head into the village? I suppose you could use some new robes by now, and we'll have a late lunch."

The three of them donned their cloaks and headed outside, where white snow was now swirling in the air. Draco scowled, pulling his hood up eagerly and wishing he had worn boots. The snow that had managed to stick was wet and mushy, and seeped into his sneakers. His mother headed immediately to the robes' shop. They found a few nice pairs of robes of varying colors for Draco to buy, as well as some brand new black dress robes, which he would need for the Ball at the end of the year.

His mother took one look at Draco's shirt and remembered that he was in need of some new ones. They were off in a flash to a more Muggle clothing store, although owned by wizards, of course. Narcissa obsessed over his attire for over an hour, drying different shirt combinations with new pants, as she had decided he needed more of those as well.

"Mother, is this necessary?" he groaned, looking outside the window towards the castle, wishing he was inside.

"Shush, Draco, and be still. Do you like this color?" It was a white shirt, like the other three she had chosen.

"Mother, it's white. That's fine. I'd really like some new jeans and t-shirts though," he added. She looked at him dismissively and headed over to the casual section of the store, where Draco finally felt at home.

Two hours of shopping later and Draco was worn out. His mother carried numerous bags on her arms, and Draco carried the rest. Bellatrix was under a Disillusionment Charm so she couldn't be seen, as that would lead to awkward questions and more trouble for the family.

"Are you quite ready for lunch?" she asked Draco, whose stomach growled in response to her question. She giggled a high-pitched laugh and headed off to the Three Broomsticks. Bellatrix headed back to the tavern, saying she wished for a quick nap before they returned. Narcissa assured her they'd bring her back some Firewhiskey and a small meal.

Madam Rosmerta served them each small meals; Draco chose some steak and potatoes, and his mother had some chicken soup. Firewhiskey was included for Bellatrix and his mother, while Draco just ordered a butterbeer. A child such as Draco was in his mother's eyes, he didn't dare to order Firewhiskey, although he was of age. The witch carried over their food and drinks and went back to wash dishes in the back. There were no other customers.

Mother and son talked about little things, nothing too deep. Neither mentioned Lucius, and Draco was glad for it. He was in understanding that his mother didn't want to breach the subject with him whatsoever, since she would probably start crying again. Their conversation remained light and happy, just about school and what was going on before Lucius's death.

"Son," she began after the two had begun the walk back, an entire bottle of Firewhiskey in her hands for Bellatrix. "There's something that I and your aunt wish to speak to you about."

"What's that?" he asked, uninterested. The uncomfortable feeling began to creep back into his stomach.

They were now walking up the tavern stairs, ignoring the owner's attempts to get them to buy food from his tavern. Narcissa laughed coldly and let Draco in the door, who then shut it tightly behind him. Bellatrix was situated comfortably in Draco's previously occupied armchair, looking smug.

"Have you told the boy?" she asked, twirling her wand between her fingers. Narcissa shot her a dirty look before turning back to Draco.

"Not yet," she said between her teeth. "Why don't you tell him?"

"Well since you're so afraid about it… I suppose it would be better. Draco, take a seat." She pointed to the kitchen table. Draco didn't sit. Neither did Narcissa. Bellatrix waited for a moment to see whether or not he was going to eventually listen, but then proceeded.

"You see, Draco, the war is progressing with tremendous speed. I'm sure that fool McGonagall doesn't keep any of you informed, but we've been moving forward with our attacks. It's going very well for the Dark Lord. He's so proud of all his followers." She shot a dirty look at Narcissa. "When this is all over, he'll be rewarding all of his loyal followers beyond anything."

She seemed smug as she stated this, puffing out her chest proudly. Draco knew that she would be one of the firsts to be rewarded, since she was one of the Dark Lord's favorites. After everything she hadn't completely, he still prized her beyond anything. Scuffing his shoes, he finally looked her in the eyes. She looked wild and untamed, and a little bit crazy. Gulping, Draco forced himself to look away at anything, even his mother's terrified face. Narcissa was biting her lip and looking anywhere but Draco and Bellatrix.

"Of course. This I'm aware of."

"You're such a smart boy. The Dark Lord could do great things for you, Draco. He will do great things."

"What are you insinuating?"

"He feels that the end of the school year is too far off. He wants you to join immediately. You could be a great help to the cause, and a great spy on Harry Potter."

He felt as though every ounce of blood was draining out of his face. His hands clenched to fists to stop them from shaking. Breathing became harder, in short gasps. Quickly, he grabbed at any attempt to control himself and took a deep, calming breath. Bellatrix was staring at him as though expecting he would burst into tears of joys or at least smile very widely.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked nervously, twiddling her thumbs.

"I'm not having this!" Narcissa exploded, her eyes filled with tears. Draco looked at her for a minute before turning back to Bellatrix.

"I've never been more honored," he lied through his teeth. "But I need to respect my mother's wishes, and finish school. At this point, I feel like this would be the best option."

"If you think so. But you can tell that to the Dark Lord, since I certainly am not." Bellatrix looked frightened at the idea of delivering more bad news to her master.

"At the very first opportunity. I'll be… delighted to join him when I'm out of Hogwarts."

"Well, you'll have your chance quite soon."

"Will I?" Draco asked, uninterested. "How so?"

"Oh, you shall see within the next few weeks Draco." His mother was sobbing by now.

"Tell me," he demanded. Bellatrix flinched; his voice was ice cold.

"The Dark Lord will be penetrating Hogwarts, and taking over."

Draco turned away from her, desperately wanting to leave. "Excuse me," he stated to the two women, and grabbed his cloak and parcels off the ground. He was out the door before his mother could stop him.

--

"Draco? Are you- What's wrong? What happened?" Hermione rushed out as he stormed through their common room, throwing his cloak on the floor angrily, followed by bags of expensive clothing. He immediately began pacing his bedroom, trying to clear his thoughts. Cheeks flushed from his run back to the castle, he felt chilled to the bone.

"Nothing," he snapped angrily, and Hermione straightened up, a bit taken back.

"Why aren't you telling me? Is it about your mother?"

"No, it's not."

"Voldemort?"

Draco flinched at her word. He nodded and said nothing, just paced some more. Hermione sat on his bed, staring up at him expectantly, as though he was supposed to say something. Not knowing what he was allowed to tell her, he ran through everything that Bellatrix had said. If he told Hermione, she would surely tell her friends and everything would be a bust. It's be no good; he couldn't put her in danger in such a way. He may not love Hermione or anything crazy like that, but he didn't wish harm on her in any way.

"What is he planning? I know that you know."

"I do," he said simply, turning away. She grabbed his arm and forced him to face her, eyes bulging open with an anxious expression.

"Tell me, Draco."

"Bellatrix says… she says that the Dark Lord will be taking over Hogwarts soon. A few weeks, maybe, tops. That means he's penetrating the Ministry. Taking over everything. I don't know if it's going to be safe here anymore."

Hermione was frozen, as if she couldn't speak.

"The mud- muggleborns will have to clear out, or they'll kill you."

"Voldemort is smarter than that. He'll wait until everything is perfect and silent until he does that, Draco. Forcing out the muggleborns would look very suspicious, and they definitely don't want suspicions on the Ministry when they're silently taking charge. No, they'll just treat us horribly…"

"Either way, you won't stay here. Will you?"

"No, definitely not."

Hermione went for a change in subject. "Is that all that happened with your mother?"

"We went shopping. She bought me enough clothes to last me about two years." He cracked a smile. "Then we had a quick lunch."

"Was it nice to see her?" she asked, tracing her fingers along his hand.

"I suppose. You could tell she was still very upset… about my dad, I mean. And she doesn't want me…" He stopped. He had forgotten that he hadn't mentioned anything about the death eaters to Hermione. She looked at him curiously.

"Doesn't want you to what?"

"Worry… about the Dark Lord. She says I'm going to be fine."

"Of course you are, you're a pureblood." She said this with an air of distaste, as though she despised that he was of pure blood and she was not. Draco thought she seemed jealous, but perhaps only because she was scared of the consequences. Where he would be safe from the Dark Lord and the death eaters, Hermione would be one of the first targets; being Harry's best friend, and a muggleborn.

"I know, but after all of my father's mistakes, I could be punished…"

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you," she reminded him, and he leaned close to her. She snuggled up to him and they lay down on his bed. Hermione curled her body into his, and Draco pulled her even closer, so they were pressed up against each other.

"Take my mind off it?" he suggested, and she obliged, kissing him fiercely on the lips.

Their bodies tangled together quickly, Hermione getting on top of him and straddling him. When girls did this to him, he absolutely loved it. She moved up on his body and then dipped back down to tease him, and he grabbed her roughly by the hair and pulled her face closer, crashing him lips onto hers. She gasped and they began to kiss faster, with more passion.

Draco flipped her over, trailing kisses all around her neck as he unbuttoned her top. She allowed him to do this, and he took her shirt off of her, throwing it on the ground. She shivered, getting goose bumps from the lack of outerwear, and he replaced her shirt with his hands. His hands slid up stomach to her breasts, and his lips connected with the skin on top of them. She moaned, her eyes closed, as Draco kissed her all over and back up to her neck.

Their lips connect again, Draco's tongue sliding in between her teeth to find hers. She gave no objected to his desires, and he knew she could feel how excited he was. His fingers traced a path down her stomach and began to undo her button on her jeans, tugging at the waist line gently. Hermione moaned again, softer, and pulled his hands away.

"Mmm, why not?" he asked into her ear, using his teeth to pull at her lobe gently.

"Because I said so," she whispered.

"But you let Ron…"

She opened her eyes and sat up, not even bothering to try to hide her upper body. Draco got an eyeful of her chest and smirked.

"That was different. We dated for several months and I loved him…"

Draco growled angrily, pausing on a question that he very much wanted to ask.

"Hermione, are you going to shag me?"

She blinked at him several times. "Uhm…" She went red.

"Are you?" he pressed.

"I don't know, Draco."

"Pleaseeeee," he begged, never having to do this before. "You know you want to."

She sighed, exasperated. "I know I do."

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I'm just not comfortable with you yet."

"When will that be…?"

"I don't know," she confessed, and he groaned in desperation.

"Fine," he answered, and kissed her again.

--

**A/n- Sweet, another chapter. Reviews?!**


	14. The Danger Begins

A/n- Loyal fans and readers, I'm back yet again

**A/n- Loyal fans and readers, I'm back yet again! I wish I could tell you how much longer this is going to be, but I have no clue. So stick with me. This chapter jumps ahead into some interesting stuff. Gutta get there somehow, and I didn't want another filler chapter of nothing.**

**BTW: I will most likely be posting a new story within the next two weeks. I need a few more chapters written up and then I will definitely be doing that. Anyone who wants to know what it's about, you can ask in a review and I'll message ya back. **

**P.s Little bit of a lemon in the middle. Nothing bad though.**

--

_You are young, and I am scared  
You're wise beyond your years, but I don't care  
And I can feel your heartbeat  
You know exactly where to take me  
We're one mistake from being together  
Let's not ask why it's not right  
You won't be seventeen forever  
And we can get away with this tonight_

(Seventeen Forever, Metro Station)

Chapter 14: The Danger Begins

Voldemort was faster than anybody gave him credit for; and people gave him a lot of credit to begin with. Within two weeks, the Ministry had fallen into his hands, and Hogwarts had too. Although some of the public was informed, many were clueless, and not many people dared to leave Hogwarts. Voldemort had been clear in his decision; magical students needed to be kept where he could keep an eye on them.

Of course, Voldemort himself wasn't running the school; Snape was. While Snape assumed the duty of Headmaster, everyone went around their normal business. A few changes were made; all disciplinary action went straight to Snape, all muggleborn students were expelled from clubs or sports, and all muggleborns were forced to sit in the back row of the classrooms, out of sight, and were not permitted to speak.

Most of the teachers didn't enforce all of these rules, although they were careful about when they were lenient. Snape was always prowling the school, and who knew how many Slytherins were spying for him. Draco himself knew that Pansy was on watch for him; but Pansy knew to keep her mouth shut about anything Hermione did to break the rules.

Harry left immediately after Voldemort took over. Hermione hadn't told Draco much, but that he was on some official business that Dumbledore gave him, and he wanted to do it alone. Even Ron stayed behind with Hermione, even though he tried to insist to Harry that he needed their help. Draco, personally, was extremely glad that Hermione stayed. He felt very disconnected from his Slytherin friends, most of whom had taken the initiative and become death eaters already.

One day, Draco was specially summoned from class to go and see Snape, privately, in his office. He wasn't sure what Snape was going to say, but he was frightened. His father had always said that Snape knew things that other people didn't; Draco believed he could read minds. And Draco wasn't very good at Occlumency at all, although he had attempted to learn with his mother's help.

"Yes, Headmaster?" Draco asked as he took a seat opposite Snape, his eyes fixed straight ahead and hand gripped upon his wand in his pocket.

"Draco, please call me Professor Snape. You were such a close family friend," he said warmly, offering Draco a drink. He refused. Snape looked disgruntled and took a sip of his Firewhiskey, finally setting it down upon the desk.

"Professor, then. You called me here for a meeting?"

"Yes. I understand you spoke to your aunt and mother a few weeks previous… Bellatrix told me of your interesting choice."

"That of not joining the Dark Lord immediately, sir?"

"Precisely. Draco, I support your decision. It's a difficult position to be put in, and as your late father's former friend, I must say, I did not like the way he put you into such circumstances. However, I asked you here mainly to inform you that I have told the Dark Lord of your decision."

"What did he say, sir?"

"He cannot comprehend your worries now that the school has been taken over, however, he will accept your reluctance for now. He feels you are buying your time, but for what reasons, he's not sure. Nor am I."

"I assure you, Professor, nothing but to live out my education as far as possible. Also, it would comfort my mother if I waited until I was properly old enough in her eyes. You understand, I'm sure."

"Understandable, Draco. I will pass on the message." He concentrated for a moment, and Draco shivered as he stared deep into Draco's eyes. Here was when Draco felt as though Snape was attempting to break into his mind. He attempted to shield himself, but it was useless and he knew it.

"Can I go, sir?" Draco asked hurriedly, hoping that he could get out of here. Snape snapped out of his thinking and nodded slowly, a lazy smile spreading on his face.

"Yes, Draco. Thank you for coming by to see me. Don't be a stranger."

"I won't sir. Thank you." Draco excused himself and practically ran back to the common room, where he knew Hermione would be anxiously waiting. She hated being left alone now, ever since their arrival a few days previously. Constantly on the alert, she had petty fears that some Slytherins were going to barge in and somehow harm her. As if they could; she could most likely take any of them.

When he walked into the common room, Hermione looked up nervously and then averted her eyes downward, back to the book she was reading. Schoolwork was hardly anyone's concern anymore, even for Hermione, although she did do most of it out of habit. Mostly, she spent time with Draco, and they talked a lot.

"What did Snape want?" she asked in a bored tone, closing her book. She looked upset about something, but Draco smiled and sat down.

"Hmm. Nothing much." He still hadn't told her about what Bellatrix had asked of him; of what he was on the verge of being forced to do. He hadn't like Snape's expression at all.

"You're lying to me. You've been very odd lately… so distant."

"Someone is more observant than I gave them credit for," Draco said sheepishly, putting his book bag down on the ground and sitting on the couch next to Hermione.

"Surprise of the century," Hermione replied sarcastically, and Draco rolled his eyes. "So tell me what Snape really said, and what you're hiding."

Draco paused for a moment. "You don't want to know this," he warned.

"I can handle it." Draco sighed.

"When I saw my mother and Bellatrix… Bellatrix asked me a question." Hermione urged him on. "The Dark Lord requested my services sooner than expected. I turned him down."

"You turned down Voldemort?" she sputtered.

"I told Bellatrix I wanted to wait until school was over. Snape was just confirming that."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, angry and hurt.

"Honestly, I thought you'd be pretty mad at me. This is an obligation that I will have to take when the war comes along. There isn't an if, and, or but about it. I hope you're aware of this."

"I thought you didn't want to be a death eater!" she exclaimed, horrified.

"I don't, but it's not something where you tell them that. The Dark Lord wouldn't be pleased if his prospective followers denied him straight to his face. He kills people who do that. I haven't got a choice. It's fight or die, Hermione."

"You could fight on our side, you know…"

"Yeah, right…"

That ended the conversation, and Hermione seemed very wrapped up in her own thoughts. Draco pulled out his homework and began to do it; Hermione offered to give him hers, but he refused. That would spark some sort of fight about how he never did his homework, since he never did. He found that cheating off Hermione was much more efficient.

After he completed his assignments, he was ready to go to bed for the night. He said goodnight to Hermione and found his way to the bathroom, deciding to take a quick shower before going to bed. The hot water erased the tension in his body, and even loosened up some of his jumbled thoughts. When he stepped out, he felt a lot better.

Grabbing a towel, he headed back into his room, towel wrapped loosely around his hips. He'd have to dig for clothes; he hadn't been sending any laundry to the elves lately, since he and Hermione had been kept busy by the new intruders in the castle. He opened the door to his room, and everything seemed normal until he spotted Hermione sitting on his bed, waiting for him.

"Uh…" she said, turning a very deep red. Draco smirked as her eyes traveled all over his body, never stopping as they went up and down, settling on his abs for a good minute before gulping and looking back up at Draco.

"Like what you see?" he asked confidently, marching right up to her. Her eyes were wide open, and she wasn't breathing. Her cheeks did not fade any of their color.

"Mhm," she managed to squeak out. Draco liked this reaction from her very much, and wanted nothing more than to remove the towel and just let everything go the winds. But he knew with Hermione, that was extremely unlikely.

"I thought so."

"Would you… like me to go? So you can change?"

"No that's fine," he assured her, turning away from her and quickly stepping into boxers so Hermione could feel better about herself. He dropped the towel and turned to face her, to see that she was trying to look the other way. Trying, being key; she was peeking out of the corner of her eye.

"Better now? Can you concentrate?" he asked, cockily. Hermione smacked him gently and then leaned in and kissed his arm better where she had hit him. He laughed and picked up, sitting down and then placing her on his lap.

"I can concentrate just fine, thank you. I was just momentarily distracted."

Draco winked at her and she shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, which made him smirk even more. She kissed him to wipe the expression off his face, and he pulled her down onto the bed, underneath him, and they snogged for awhile. When he finally pushed away, the color had finally faded away from her cheeks and she was smiling brightly at him.

"So, why are you here?" he asked, just realizing that Hermione ought to be studying or sleeping. When Draco went to bed, she rarely disturbed him, knowing that he liked his beauty rest. Often times, she said he was more feminine than her, which definitely wasn't true. He simply required more sleep than the average person.

"What, I can't visit my boyfriend in his bedroom, late at night, after he gets out of the shower?" she teased. Draco growled sexily near her ear, and she shivered.

"Yes, you definitely can," he murmured, his hand feeling its way up her shirt.

She swatted him away. "Stop that. Don't get any ideas."

He frowned, his forehead crinkling. He couldn't understand why she had to tease him constantly. It was making his patience wear thin much faster than he had thought possible. Right now, there was nothing more that he wanted than her. Not to mention that she looked so good in her sweat pants and tank top.

"What type of ideas?" she asked innocently. Her fingers traced a small line under his boxers, and she tugged at them gently. Draco felt himself get up, and Hermione giggled a little. Her hand met him under his boxers, and she stroked his penis slowly. Draco sighed in content and she went a little faster. Then she stopped.

Draco groaned and she giggled maniacally.

"Ugh, you're killing me Hermione."

She smiled wickedly, as though she had planned it out.. Her body moved its way closer to Draco, and she snuggled up against his body, as if that was the answer to his problems. His arm snaked it way around her shoulders, put he was still upset. Not sure what she was doing in here now, he gave her a skeptical look when she finally looked back up at him.

"Why are you here, then, if not to please me?"

"Oh, I gave you a little didn't I? I was wondering if I could sleep with you, tonight?"

"Not really," he grumbled, "But in here? Why?"

She looked embarrassed. "I just feel safer."

He cracked a smile. "Alright, alright. You can stay here."

She kissed him and turned over to get comfortable, and Draco stared at her for a few moments. He was starting to need another shower, badly.

--

"Draco!"

Draco wheeled around when his voice was called in the hallway, looking around to find the source of the screaming. Hermione continued to walk, not wanting to make it obvious that they were together; ever since Snape had arrived, they needed to be ten times more discreet than before. Draco was lucky that the Slytherins hadn't opened their mouths, and wasn't exactly positive if they had. It may be the calm before the storm.

"Draco, mate!" he heard again, and finally found Blaise, who was standing on the staircase where he had just gotten off of. He picked his way through the crowd and caught up to Blaise, who was grinning.

"Hey Blaise. Need something?"

Blaise was dressed in black robes and had a badge under his prefect's robes; a small little dark mark. Draco looked at it for a moment, appalled, and then smiled at Blaise. He wasn't about to give anything away to his friends.

"Nice," he commented it, and Blaise puffed out his chest.

"Great, isn't it? Wonder why Snape didn't give you one," he pondered aloud, and Draco chuckled.

"Oh, Blaise, not all of us need to display it, if you know what I mean."

Blaise laughed coldly and slapped him on the back. "Anyways mate, your aunt is looking for you. Snape sent me to come find you."

"My aunt? Bellatrix?" A cold shivered ran down his spine.

"Yeah, she's up in Snape's office. She's sent for you. Looked pissed, to be honest. I'd be careful."

"Oh… I'm sure everything's fine. Thanks, though. I'll go now."

He didn't wait for Blaise's response, but hurried off in the direction of Snape's office. Not being particularly in the mood for any type of fight or argument, he just hoped that Bellatrix was going to yell at him for not joining the Dark Lord like all of his friends. In reality, he was very surprised that Blaise had agreed to join. Although Blaise's father was a death eater, he had never really pinned Blaise for being the type to kill people. Well, maybe he didn't know what he was getting himself into. Most people didn't.

He reached Snape's office rather quickly and headed upstairs, his stomach turning over with each step on the marble steps. He patted it to settle it down, and felt for his wand in his pocket, just to be sure. It would be no use against Bellatrix; he may be a good dueled, but not half as good as his aunt. She had, after all, taught him almost everything he knew.

Knocking on the door, Draco tapped his foot out of anxiety more than anything. Snape opened the door and allowed him access, shooing him quickly into a chair as he had done before. No drinks were offered this time, and Bellatrix was standing behind Snape's desk looking livid. The color visibly drained from his face as he watched her nails dig into her palm as she clenched a fist around her wand.

"Hello Professor," he said, addressing Snape so he could look away. "Blaise told me I was requested in your office?"

"Yes, Draco. Your aunt would like to speak to you, not me."

Draco was forced to turn his attention towards Bellatrix, and she shivered again. Under his robes, he had a vice grip upon his wand. He was prepared to have to do anything, even though he had no clue what was going to happen. All he knew was that he did not like the expression Bellatrix had written on her face. He also didn't like that she had Snape to back her up, and he was all alone.

"Draco," Bellatrix started, and he could hear that her voice was quivering, trying to stay in control.

"Yes?"

"Severus has been feeding me some interesting stories from his meeting with you yesterday, and I must say… I'm a little… disappointed."

"Why's that?"

"You lied to me, boy. You and your bloody Mudblood FILTH!" she screamed, her eyes wide open. Draco thought she looked absolutely mad.

"What… filth?" he stuttered nervously.

"Don't try to deny anything, Draco. Snape, what was the girl's name?"

"Granger," he replied dryly.

He seemed extremely bored with all of this, and Draco shot him a dirty look. Now he knew what was going on; bloody Snape had decided to spill whatever he had creepily read in Draco's mind. Draco was so angry at Snape for being a fucking snake, he wanted to dive across the desk and strangle him.

"Yes, Granger. That was it. What the fuck is going on with you and this Granger girl?" she demanded, spit flying from her mouth. Draco froze.

"N-Nothing."

"Are you calling Severus a liar? Don't fucking lie to me again Draco. Tell me the truth."

Draco was shaking, and desperately wanted to get up and run, but he couldn't move. Not knowing the consequences for having a relationship with a muggleborn, he didn't even know what was next. All he knew was that it wasn't something pleasant.

"There's nothing to tell," he said boldly.

Snape spoke up. "Draco, just tell your aunt what she wants to hear before she beats you anyways."

Draco swallowed. "What is it that you want to hear? That I'm dating Hermione Granger? You already fucking know that, apparently."

"Don't get smart with me Draco. Lusting after a mudblood girl. She's filth, Draco, filth. Not for you. How dare you put the Malfoy name in danger; our family! So ready to corrupt our blood just for a shag, Draco?"

"I'M NOT SHAGGING HER!" he screamed. His temper had flared up uncontrollably. Shaking in anger, he found he was standing, although he had no recollection of doing so. His wand was pointed at Bellatrix. She didn't even stagger back.

"That's right, you aren't. It ends. Now."

Draco tried to stop shaking, and looked desperately to Snape for help. As though he was reading Draco's mind, he nodded once and went over to Bellatrix, putting a hand on her shoulder. Light, but restraining. Somehow, Snape held more power over Bellatrix now.

"Go, Draco." There was no room to argue, and Draco didn't want to. He listened to Snape's command and was out of the door in mere seconds, practically running through the halls. Classes had been let out for the day, and he knew Hermione would be in the common room, or at dinner. He took a chance and tried dinner first, but he was wrong, she had clearly gone up to start homework and wait for him to go to dinner.

He tore through the halls, knowing that when Bellatrix was angry, she stopped at nothing to get something done. Inside, he was desperately afraid that Hermione was going to get hurt. He didn't trust anybody around him, and he was starting to wish that Hermione had gone anyway with Harry, instead of stayed with him. Then again, he was glad she was still away from Ron.

"Hermione?" he called out as soon as he entered, kicking off his shoes automatically.

"Upstairs!" she called out. Draco raced up the stairs to find her cleaning her room and folding her clothes back into her trunk. He grabbed her and pulled her towards his chest.

She giggled in surprise until she saw his expression, and then frowned. Leaning up, she kissed him, hoping that would make it better. The kiss was fierce and Draco almost forgot the current situation for a moment. When he finally came to his sense, he broke away and kissed her on the neck, up to the forehead, where he stopped, and just held her close.

"Something's wrong? What did Blaise want? You took awhile."

"I had to see Snape again."

"You're leaving something out. Something is very, very wrong. Tell me Draco Malfoy, right now."

Draco took a deep breath, and looked away. He wanted to lie; to turn back around and smile and laugh and tell her it was all a joke, and that nothing bad had happened. Very much, all he wanted to say was that they were okay and nothing was ever going to break them apart, or get in their way. But he couldn't lie to Hermione anymore; it wasn't a possibility, not because he wasn't a confident liar, but because he knew she deserved the truth from him.

"Bellatrix was there. Did you know that Snape could perform Legimency?" he asked, hoping to slow down the process of telling her all that happened.

"Yes… Why? Oh… my… no…" she spluttered. "He read your mind, didn't he?"

"Yes, and spilled everything he saw to Bellatrix."

Hermione's mouth was agape with shock and revulsion, and Draco led her backwards, so she could sit on something. He had to push down with force in order for her to oblige, and then she realized what he was doing and listened to him. Draco put his arm around her shoulders, and she stared at him.

"So what do we do? Is she going to hurt you?" she asked.

"Me?" he asked, surprised. "She would have done so already. It's you I'm worried about."

"Oh, don't be thick. She's not going to attack me for dating you, is she?"

"Hermione, they say you're intelligent. Of course she wants to hurt you! And there's nobody to say no, there's nobody to stop her! Take this seriously, Hermione. You, out of everybody, are in the most danger now."

She looked at him blankly, as though she wasn't sure what to say. Draco comforted her, pulling her closer to his body and kissing her forehead a few times. She cuddled close to him, although he didn't know what comfort he was going to be in the long run. Draco was very scared of what was going to happen as well.

"Are you going to leave me, Draco?" she whispered. There were tears in her eyes.

"No." He didn't realize what he had said until he had really spoken it out loud. He believed it though, truly.

"Draco, I…"

"Shhh," he said, hoping to prolong the onset of tears in her eyes.

"No, listen to me."

"Okay, okay. What is it?" he asked soothingly, playing with her curls.

"I… I love you."

"You… love me?" he asked hesitantly. He felt… warm as she said that. Like it was, a good feeling, or something.

"I'm not… in love with you. But I love you, yes."

He relaxed. He wasn't in love with her either, and it would have been horrible to lie. But he could admit that he loved Hermione. He certainly liked her a considerable amount more than any other girl he had dated before. If anything, he cared about Hermione more than he had ever cared for anyone, other than his family, in his entire life. The thought of that scared him, but it had been there for some long, he was used to it. A protective feeling towards Hermione had been growing since the first day they had gotten along.

"Er… I love you too."

"You don't have to say it if you don't mean it."

"I do mean it, I do. I've just never said that to anyone before."

"Really?"

"No. Have you?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well… yes. To Ron. And Harry, I suppose."

"In a friendly way?" he queried, clenching his fists. Ron Weasley, of all people…

"Towards Harry, yes. Towards Ron… well, more of the way I feel about you. Except…"

"Except what?" he asked slyly, feeling as though she was attempting to dodge the question.

"Except, I think… I think it's stronger for you."

Draco smiled widely to that. He pumped his fist in success and Hermione gave him a stern look, as though reproving what he was doing. He laughed and kissed her hard on the mouth, and she smiled when they broke apart. He felt so invincible now, like nothing could stop him. Even Bellatrix was off his mind, for the time being.

"So, now can we…?" He winked at her.

"Draco!"

"Please?" he added hopefully, and she shook her head.

"Boys…" she muttered, flipping her hair obnoxiously. Draco frowned again and tried to cajole her back into kissing him, but she ignored him.

"What about boys?" he asked, annoyed.

"They're so persistent!"

"Well, a man only has so much patience."

She leaned down and pecked him on the lips. "Well, have a little more."

--

**A/n- Longest chapter so far? Close to it, I believe. Review please!**


	15. A Daunting Mission

A/n- Aw, poor me wants more reviews :(

**A/n- Aw, poor me wants more reviews :(**

--

_Never caught my breath  
Every second I'm without you I'm a mess  
Ever know each other  
Trust these words are stones  
why cuts aren't healing  
Learning how to love_

(I Caught Fire (In Your Eyes), The Used)

Chapter 15: A Daunting Mission

Draco was thrown unceremoniously on the ground at the Dark Lord's feet. He cowered there, not making any movement and certainly not looking up. His body was in tremors, and his perfect white teeth clicked together, echoing around the hall. He could hear whispering and boots clicking upon the hard floors, but no one dared to speak louder than a murmur. Draco hesitantly opened his eyes, but could not see anything but the pattern on the tiles.

He had been stupid to go see Snape again, thanking he could help. Knowing Bellatrix, it had all been a trap, of course. Draco should have known this, but he hadn't. The flash of the last few minutes played back in his head; the shriek of Bellatrix, her hands gripped on his robes, floo-ing to The Dark Lord's Manor… Draco reeled from it, trying desperately not to throw up on the polished linoleum.

"Draco," The Dark Lord started, practically purring his name. Draco shivered and dared to look up.

"Y-yes, my Lord?" he stuttered. Bellatrix laughed coldly in the background, and Draco heard the Dark Lord shush her into silence. Her mouth went into a line as straight at McGonagall's. Muttering an apology, she lowered her head and stared cruelly at Draco.

"Draco… your father's little… protégé, no?" he asked. This seemed to amuse the crowd of Death Eaters. Draco missed the sarcasm, but said nothing. "You know why you're here Draco, don't you?"

Draco remained silent, not knowing whether he was supposed to speak.

"I asked you a question, Draco. Do not ignore the Dark Lord."

Draco was shivering in fear again, the quakes taking over his body and not allowed him to speak. The chattering of his teeth got louder, and many of the Death Eaters howled in laughter at his pity. He could see his mother out of the corner of his eye, next to Bellatrix, and she was weeping. Getting quickly in control, he rose halfway, to his knees, and looked at Voldemort.

"Yes, my Lord. I'm aware."

"And why don't you tell everyone why that is." The Dark Lord seemed to be amused by this, spinning his wand in his long fingers carelessly. Bellatrix shot him a nasty look, as though she required more nastiness from him than he was giving to Draco. The two exchanged a look, and Voldemort seemed to smile for a moment before looking back at Draco.

"Do tell, Draco," he prompted. The circle of Death Eaters fell silent.

"Because I'm… dating a mudblood."

A few uninformed Death Eaters gasped and hissed while others were jeering or cat-calling. Voldemort motioned for them to settle down and once again they fell quiet instantly. Bellatrix was being restrained by a few burly Death Eaters, and Draco's mother was on the ground, silently sobbing with tears trailing down her face. Draco gulped, not knowing what was next. His wand had been taken from him beforehand.

"Dating… a mudblood. Curious, Draco, curious. You are, after all, only a child. Children makes mistakes."

"He's of age!" cried Bellatrix angrily. Draco wished he could do something to wipe that wild smirk off her face.

"Yes, Bellatrix, thank you for your input. However, Draco, your foolishness may be of use to me, after all. This girl is Granger, is she not?"

"Y-yes my Lord," he said hastily, sitting up further to pay rapt attention.

"Wonderful." He seemed to be thinking for a moment. "You will be of use to me, Draco. Highly useful. And if you shall succeed… well, you'll be forgiven. Which I believe is all you wish for right now, yes?"

Draco said nothing. It seemed that he wasn't expected to answer, because Voldemort continued on without a response.

"Yes, Draco, the Dark Lord will be merciful… if you succeed. But, you've already failed me once Draco, and now, this is two strikes against you. Do you fear retribution, Draco? You ought to."

He snapped his fingers. The burly men holding back Bellatrix dragged her forward to him, as she was still struggling to get closer to Draco. Draco sneered at her, which missed the Dark Lord's attention, and Bellatrix stopped at his feet. She stopped her struggle and bowed, low, to him, and then looked expectantly up at him.

"Yes, my Lord."

"You've taken a personal interest in the boy's case, have you not?"

"Of course, my Lord. He is the scorn of this family."

"But you agree, Bellatrix, that the Dark Lord's plans and wishes for him are much more important than your own. You shall, after all, forgive him if I say so, yes?"

She stopped, breathing heavily. "If it must be, my Lord."

"Exactly. It will be so, Bellatrix. However, I assure you that you will be quite satisfied with the boy after he's completed what I have in store for him. He may be the most prized of all your nephews…"

"My Lord, what is it that you have in mind?"

"Patience, Bellatrix." He paused, and then looked back to Draco. "Now, Draco, before we decide upon your task, let me remind you why it is not prudent that you fail me."

He smiled lazily, looking around at his followers. Draco knew what must be next; pain, and a lot of it. He had no doubt that the Dark Lord would not spare him, and he severely wished that he had seen this coming beforehand. Perhaps everyone in the circle would have their chance to hurt him, or just Voldemort. It would all depend on how generous Voldemort was feeling at that particular moment. Draco could see the murderous look in his eye as he lifted his wand delicately.

"_Crucio_."

Draco felt as though his entire body was on fire; he writhed in agony, silently, upon the floor. His muscles contracted and expanded, sending him sliding upon the dark floor in pain. He clenched his teeth so hard he felt as though they shall break. The fire spread across his limbs, constricting his passage of air, and flipping his body upside down. He curled into a ball, not sure how else to deal with it, and then it stopped.

Breathing heavily and sweating, he scrambled back upon his knees, knowing that this is what the Dark Lord required of him. His father had used this on him before; he knew the wand master's expectations of him. He stared coldly at Bellatrix, who was laughing gleefully. No one else said anything. His mother had been taken out of the hall by Wormtail.

"Understand Draco?"

He did nothing but shake his head.

"I said, understand me? _Crucio_."

Once again his felt the fire lick at his body, curling him into a ball and slamming his head and knees against the hard floor. It stopped faster this time, but the pain was more deep and he was left with tears running down his face on the floor.

"Do you understand?" he bellowed.

"Yes my Lord!" he screamed, still refusing to look up. No one would see these tears on is face. He would refuse. He wiped his face on his robes' sleeve and finally looked back into the cold face of Voldemort, wishing nothing else but to get out of here, and run forever.

"Very well. Bellatrix?" he asked, and Draco recoiled. His fears were confirmed; more than one dose of pain would be administered.

But Bellatrix did not use her wand. She marched over to his, grinning like a mad woman, and stopped right at his head. He looked up at her, scared, and she narrowed her eyes. Draco got the message; if looks could kill.

Suddenly, her foot came out of no where and pounded him in the stomach. The boot swung, repetitively into his stomach, sending him flailing across the floor. He doubled up, several times, screaming in pain. She grabbed him, lifting him up by his robes, and punched him; the head, the face, the stomach, the ribs. He could feel nothing but the blows, and knew that blood was trickling everywhere.

It stopped eventually, leaving Draco bloody and broken on the ground. He panted and gasped, clutching at the floor to pull himself up. The Dark Lord was chuckling, and Bellatrix looked extremely pleased with herself. He heard Voldemort dismiss his other Death Eaters, leaving him alone with only Bellatrix and Voldemort.

After a few minutes of struggling, Draco pulled himself back up onto his knees. He felt dizzy and weak from the blood loss. Cuts of his head were bleeding profusely, but there was nothing he could do to stop them. Breathing came difficult, sharp, and jagged. His ribs must be broken, or at least a few of them. He tried not to think of the pain, and instead stared straight again at a spot behind Voldemort.

"Ah, Draco. You've learned your lesson, I'm sure."

"Yes, my Lord," he managed to wheeze out.

"Excellent. But now, Draco, before I release you, is my plan. Listen carefully, Draco. You will not fail me again."

Draco merely nodded, trying to swallow back screams of agony.

"You've done most of the work already Draco, which I am thankful for. I don't have much time, you see. I want you to use the mudblood girl to find Harry Potter. Read her letters, question her. Surely, you are her confidant by now, yes? Find where he is, Draco. When you have done so, you shall bring the girl and yourself to me. Immediately. Don't stall. Are we clear, Draco?"

"Clear… my Lord, yes," he managed to get up, blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.

"Wonderful." He flung Draco's wand back at him lazily. "Get out of my sight."

Bellatrix strutted over, picking him up by the collar. Pulling him up, he leaned on her for support as they walked over to the grate. She handed him a handful of power and threw him into the fire, where he banged his head on the stones. Seeing stars before his eyes, he grabbed onto the stone for support while his vision cleared.

"Hogwarts Heads' Room," he wheezed, throwing the powder down. He spun out of sight, falling through nothingness until he hit the floor, hard.

He heard a squeal, a gasp and then hurried footsteps. Trying to open his eyes, he crawled out of the dirt from the fireplace, but he didn't get too far before he threw up. Hermione groaned and scooted over a bit, closer to Draco, he could tell. His eyes were still closed tightly, afraid that if he opened them he would vomit again.

"What happened!" she gasped, picking him up as best as she could, half dragging him over to the couch. He protested violently, shaking his head. "What, Draco?"

"No… couch. Blood…" he moaned, coughing violently, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Oh Merlin," Hermione whispered faintly, wiping his mouth with her sleeve. Her wand was in her hand immediately and she tore off his robes, trying to figure out where his wounds were.

"Where does it hurt the most?" she asked, struggling to decide where to heal first.

Draco couldn't bring his arm to point to his head, so he mumbled it out loud for her. She nodded and carefully moved his head off to the side, where she saw bruises and cuts. She swore under her breath and started to heal them with the best spells she knew. At one point, she cursed loudly and went upstairs for a minute, coming back with bandages and potions as well.

For over a half hour she turned Draco all around, healing all his wounds and dressing them as well as she knew how. He refused to go to the hospital wing, knowing that this treatment would spark outrage from the entire teaching staff, and there was nothing that any of them could do. His mind whirled with the thought of what he had to do. This would break Hermione's heart, and definitely scar him forever. But there was no way he couldn't complete this task.

When Hermione finished washing off the blood and grime from Draco, she fed him potions that would rush along his recovery and relieve the pain. Almost instantly, his thoughts were clearer and there were no more spots dancing in front of his eyes. He wasn't stupid though; the bruises on his body wouldn't fade for quite some time. Most of the cuts, however, had been healed quickly by Hermione's wand and were light pink scars now.

After the pain receded from his head, Hermione stood him up and they walked over to the couch and sat down. He let his head fall upon her shoulder and she plays with locks of his hair until he fell into a deep sleep. It was, after all, very late in the morning, close to 3 AM.

Around 8 o' clock, Draco woke from his slumber, his neck in serious pain from the way he had fallen asleep. Hermione was fast asleep next to him, sitting up against proper couch cushions. Draco smiled sheepishly and moved to get up. He regretted this action immediately; his whole body screamed in agony at the small movement. The potions had worn off, trying to fight off all the pain coursing through his body as he slept. She couldn't help but cry out, which awoke Hermione.

"Don't move," she said groggily, dragging herself off the couch before he could move again, and grabbed the potions. One at a time, Draco swallowed a handful of potions, and felt the effects quickly once again.

"Stay on the couch, please. I'm going to get you some breakfast."

Draco nodded absently, lying back on the couch and taking deep breaths, trying to clear his foggy vision. He felt dirty from the grime and blood, even though Hermione had been sure to wash everything off of him. Perhaps it was more the fact that he had groveled at Voldemort's feet for forgiveness and agreed to endanger Hermione. He felt like a dirty person because of it. More than anything else, he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. And Malfoys didn't cry.

Hermione returned after about twenty minutes with a plate full of breakfast; toast, pumpkin juice and some kippers. He ate slowly, not wanting to overload his stomach; it still hurt from being kicked repetitively the previous night. Bellatrix boots had hurt like hell, but at least the ribs had been healed.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked softly, ruffling his blonde locks of hair once again. He didn't have the strength to force her to stop, but he truly hated when anyone touched his precious hair.

"Isn't it obvious?" he snapped.

"Please don't snap at me," she said quietly. Her eyes were filled with tears, and Draco regretted his harsh words instantly. He couldn't take this out on her; now, more than ever, he needed to stay in control of his temper.

"I'm sorry Hermione," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. "I didn't mean to get angry. I just don't want to scare you."

"Draco, I'm a big girl. Tell me what happened. When you didn't come home, I got so worried…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you anxious. I shouldn't have gone. You know that Snape came to get me… he took me to his office, and Bellatrix was there. He floo-ed to the Dark Lord's Manor… where he's hiding."

"Do you know where that is?" she interjected excitedly.

He shook his head. "No. I only saw his main room, where he stays. They threw me at his feet and he… said some nasty things, nothing too bad though. Then…"

"Did he do this to you?" she asked, touching a few of the bruises.

"No. He used Crucio… which I've dealt with before." He hushed her before she could ask. "Bellatrix got her turn then, and she chose… a Muggle form of torture, I suppose."

"Bellatrix… physically hurt you?"

"She mainly kicked and punched me around for awhile. Then they threw me back into the fireplace." He skipped the part about the mission; she couldn't know that.

"That's it? Nothing else…?"

"Nope. That was torture enough for him… for now. Trust me, I'm not complaining." He couldn't meet her eyes, and pretended to be interested in more toast, even though he was full.

"Draco… I'm so sorry… That's horrible… your own aunt."

"Not as bad as my father." The words had rolled off his tongue so casually that he had forgotten who he was speaking too. Hermione gasped, her hand over her mouth, and looked at him in mute horror. Draco inwardly cursed, wishing he had kept his mouth shut.

"Your father… hit you?" She seemed utterly repulsed.

"It's no big deal," he said dismissively. He didn't want or need pity from her.

"Draco that's a big de-"

"Hermione, stop. I don't want your fucking pity, okay!"

She seemed shocked but nodded solemnly, looking away from his cruel glare. Again, he wished that he hadn't spoken so rashly without thinking of the consequences. She was sure to leave him for her friends now, purely because he was being a bloody pain in the ass.

Instead of leaving, however, she moved closer to him, kissing him fiercely on the mouth and straddling him on the couch. Thankful for the potion and the use of his limbs, Draco pulled her even closer, running his hands up and down her soft curves. She moaned as his hands slid up her thighs and into her shift, deftly undoing the buttons to her blouse and pulling it off.

They were lying down by now, Draco on top of her, his hands cupping her breasts and applying kisses everywhere, from her chest to her stomach, down to her pant's line. She was gasping for breathing, small sighs escaping her lips every so often. Pulling at his hair, she pulled him back up to kiss her on the mouth desperately, their tongues clashing and meshing together.

His hands twisted down to her pants, unzipping them quickly with no restrictions from Hermione, who seemed very caught up in their actions. He slid off her Muggle jeans, kissing her stomach again. His fingers danced along her panties' line, slipping into them. Sighs turned into moans as he pushed a finger inside her, going faster upon her request.

After they stopped, Hermione panting, and Draco being very hard, Draco looked up to her and smiled. Hermione kissed him on the mouth again while pulling her clothes back on, suddenly very self conscious. Her cheeks were tinged red, and Draco smirked as he looked at the curse and shape of Hermione's body. A body that he would fully have sometime soon, he knew. And by looking at Hermione's face, she knew this very well too.

"Did that make you feel better?" she asked slyly.

"I think it's you who feels better, Hermione," he said, winking. She slapped him, causing him to recoil. Her slap had hit on one of his numerous bruises. She muttered an apology and kissed it better.

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked, suddenly scared. Draco brought her closer, but didn't know what to say to make her feel any better. There wasn't anything he could say; he hated to lie straight to her face.

"Nothing Hermione. We're going to be fine. I just need to figure this all out."

"How, Draco? Will they keep hurting you?"

"No, they would have continued, or killed me. I'm worried about you, babe, not me."

She nodded absently. "Maybe I should leave, Draco. To stay with Harry or something."

"No!" he said quickly. She looked at him oddly. "Don't go. It's unsafe for you out there, too. Who knows what Harry is up too, right?"

"Well… you have a point. He really needs to be alone during all of this," she replied thoughtfully, speaking out loud to no one in particular.

"Exactly. Where is he, anyways? Hiding?"

"I'm not sure, really. He never tells me or Ron where he is, incase his letters get intercepted. But he's hiding somewhere… searching."

"Searching?"

She looked horrorstruck. "Forget it."

"Alright," he said easily, not wanting to pressure her. He knew he'd need this information eventually, but the last thing he truly needed was her suspicions. He just wanted all of this to be over with.

"Thanks," she whispered. He leaned over and kissed her gently, and the two spent the afternoon quietly while Draco healed.

--

**A/n- I enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you guys think, in a review.**


	16. Cuddle Me Closer

A/n- I'm not going to draw this out a ridiculous amount, just to let everyone know

**A/n- I'm not going to draw this out a ridiculous amount, just to let everyone know. I'm not saying it's almost done, I'm basically just saying; don't expect fluffy filler chapters for your entertainment. I like the darker side of this story. :) On the other hand, this chapter will contain some fluff. Yay.**

**P.S. If anyone knows of any good, long, completed, DM/HG fics out there, let me know. I need something good to read. Doesn't have to be your own, but it could be!**

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Chapter 16: Cuddle Me Closer

Over the next few days, Draco had a lot of think about. He spent a lot of time in his room, contemplating the agony and burden of the task he was forced to endure. Hermione thought he was still emotionally scarred from his experience with Voldemort and Bellatrix, but Draco had encountered worse and was moving on from it. Most of the bruises had faded and the scars were mere thin lines now, unseen from far away.

Although Hermione continued to go to classes, Draco started skipping out, refusing to be seen by his classmates, whom had most definitely heard of the encounter. Since Hermione never let onto the social situation outside, in the castle, he assumed that the news had spread like hot fire. Of course, he was the talk of the entire school. Most of the castle probably assumed he was stuck in the hospital wing, and he made no attempt to fix the rumors.

His homework was given to him each day by Hermione, who became more sulky and annoyed by the minute. She refused to help him on subjects he didn't know, insisting that he return to classes and move on with his life. Desperately, he tried to explain to her the situation, but she told him to keep his head up. Apparently, she wasn't aware as to what his Slytherin friends were capable of, and he wasn't about to let her in on the secret.

So, while Hermione was in classes, Draco laid in his bed and skimmed Quidditch magazines or his textbooks, barely concentrating. His mind tended to wander to his task, and how he would complete it. Since he was alone in the common room for hours at a time, we managed to rifle through Hermione's letters and possessions, but never found anything too useful. Harry's letters contained nothing of importance, only that he was looking for something and was starting to progressively have more success. Harry never spoke of what it was, however, and Draco was stumped.

Not daring to breach the subject again with Hermione so soon, he was forced to labor over it in his mind for hours at a time. He still couldn't believe he would have to betray Hermione; he didn't care at all for Harry's safety. In fact, he found the Dark Lord's conquest inevitable anyways, and knew that Harry was merely someone slowing the process. The whole of the Wizarding World depended upon him, and he runs into hiding, off trying to find treasure.

A few days after Draco's beating, he was alone in the common room reading a Muggle novel Hermione had left on the couch. It was _Wuthering Heights_ by Emily Bronte, and Draco was deeply immersed in the affairs of Heathcliff. While he was in concentration, he heard a faint tapping on their window. He looked up to see an owl pecking at the glass, a letter in it's' beak.

Draco got up, loping over and opening the window so the owl could slip in. It flapped its' wings excitedly, which made Draco see that it was definitely not properly trained. The owl soared around the room and perched on the chair where Draco had been sitting, ruffling its feathers. Draco untangled the letter from it's letter and threw the owl out the window before it could made a racket of noise.

The letter wasn't for him; it was clearly addressed to Hermione in a small, untidy scrawl. Draco knew, automatically, it was from Harry. No one else would be writing to Hermione, and if they were, it would be neater; an adult perhaps, or Professor. Draco put the letter down on the table in front of him and sat back into his squishy armchair.

It only took him a few moments to snatch the letter back and tear it open, carefully; he would have to re-seal it afterwards. Draco's fingers took over, as he was no longer thinking rationally. The letter practically unfolded itself and Draco's hands completed the action by smoothing it out evenly, leaning into the candle for light. It read:

_Hermione, _

_How are you lately? I haven't heard from you in a few days, and Ron says you've been distant lately. Are you alright? How's ferret? I hope he's not treating you horribly. I've just recently found another, and I've got a clue as to where the final ones may be. I'm almost positive I'll be seeing you again soon, if you know what I mean. Only two to go. Ron was really excited. I expect to be seeing you within the next two weeks, maximum. I'm hoping, by then, that help should have arrived to get rid of Snape; he could prove to be a problem._

_ Missing you,_

_ Harry_

Draco reread the letter a few times, trying to memorize each and every line as carefully as possible so he wouldn't miss anything. The search for objects meant nothing to him, but he now knew that Harry would return to Hogwarts soon; within 2 weeks, if he was true to his word.Then, after his carefully analysis, Draco resealed the letter and placed it on the table nicely and went back to reading.

Hermione never found out.

--

Even with the mission from Voldemort on his mind, Draco wasn't completely thick. He was completely aware that Valentine's Day was the next day, and he had made quite some provisions for it. Having another dinner, of course, would be cliché now, and Draco tried to stay away from that concept.

He did manage, however, to buy Hermione some roses and chocolate, which all human girls liked. He had planned, for when she returned from dinner (Draco took his in his room), that there would be steaming cups of cocoa, a roaring fire, and some time to cuddle together. Hermione was a huge fan of snuggling up against Draco, and he had to admit, she fit into his arms very nicely. Draco wasn't daft; he had never felt this type of connection in anyone else before, and the thought scared him a little. But Malfoys weren't scared.

The morning of Valentine's Day, Draco woke to the obnoxious pecking noise at his window this time, and he thrust it open angrily. Snow whirled and swirled around his room as a gust of wind hit him full force. He shoved the window closed, tightly, and unlatched the letter from his owl. Draco petted him absently, brushing off the snow, as he opened the small letter.

_Take care of it._

That was it; no greeting, no signature. Just four threatening words in a script he'd never seen before in his life. It was highly doubtful that it was Voldemort himself, although it could possibly be one of his workers, or one of Bellatrix's friends. The latter was most likely, as Voldemort most likely had put Draco's task out of sight and out of mind fort the moment. He'd hardly be likely to remember something so juvenile when he was busy killing Muggles and taking over the Wizarding World while tracking down his main opponent.

At that moment, Hermione came flying through door, throwing her arms around him tightly and kissing him on the cheek. He staggered back a bit, caught off guard by her weight, and then straightened out, picking Hermione up swing swinging her around. He crushed the letter in his hand and tossed it out of sight, under his bed, with a few other knick knacks and some dust. Hermione didn't notice.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" she squealed, kissing him on the nose. She seemed to think this was incredibly cute. Draco had the urge to gag.

"Mhm," he nodded sleepily, letting his owl out the window. No questions were asked about it, and Draco was thankful for that.

"Oh, come on, be cheerful!"

"It's not really a man's holiday, Hermione," he reminded her. Looking glum, she stared into his eyes sadly. Draco groaned. "Okay, okay, I'll try to be chipper." He smiled and her face brightened up.

"Better. Are you going to classes today?" she queried hopefully.

"Not today. Tomorrow," he assured her. To that he received a half smile; tomorrow was better than 'next week' or 'leave me alone', as she was accustomed to receiving by now.

"Are we doing something tonight?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. Draco smirked momentarily and then straightened his face before she could notice, and shook his head, no. Her face fell.

"Why not?"

"I told you, it's not my thing." He kissed her passionately, pulling her extremely close. "I can tell you what we can do though…" He trailed off suggestively, tossing her hair to the side and kissing her neck. She swatted him away.

"Certainly not. I'll see you later, then."

"Happy Valentine's Day!" he mocked as she stomped angrily out of his room, slamming the door. Draco cackled.

Knowing he didn't have too much to do today, Draco decided to settle down and get done the homework he had been putting off. Since his teachers knew he was skipping class, there would be no leniency. Getting comfortable in his armchair, Draco passed the hours by doing Transfiguration question sets, Potions essays, and practicing complex Charms. There was so much to do, and Draco realized he was very behind.

It took him the entire day to complete all his essays for every class, and he still had to complete two Transfiguration problem sets, research plants' properties for Herbology, and practice defensive jinxes for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He felt overloaded, and his head was definitely spinning. When the bell signaling the end of classes rang, Draco ran upstairs and showered.

The hot water pelting his body made him feel relaxed and refreshed, and eased the tension in his muscles and the pounding of his head. By the end of the shower, Draco felt like he had slept a good night's sleep, but it was just from the great massage the water gave him. Stepping out of the shower, Draco toweled off quickly and dried his hair using a quick spell.

He chose his outfit carefully; loose-fitting black jeans and a studded belt, contrasted nicely with a tight white t-shirt. He mussed his hair, allowing it to fall into his eyes. It was getting very long, he noticed, and was nearing his shoulders. He scowled, grabbing his wand from the sink.

Carefully, he slashed the wand at his hair in several places, neatly cutting into clean-cut layers a bit past his ears. Never again would he shave his head; his mother had tried it once on him when he was younger and was forced to magically re-grow it; the outcome had been horrendous. Satisfied, he pocketed his wand and headed downstairs, snapping his fingers loudly.

A house elf appeared with a loud crack in the center of their living room, bowing very low to Draco and then looking up, ready to serve.

"Have two cups of hot cocoa ready the next time I call for you, understood?"

"Yes young Master." He bowed again and Draco dismissed him. The silence was broken with another crack, and Draco was alone once again.

He scuttled around the room, pushing away all of the furniture from in front of the fireplace except the couch, which he pushed closer. With a flick of his wand, flames roared in the grate, hot and romantic. Draco smiled and lit the candles in the room, creating flicking and eerie shadows upon the floor and walls of the common room.

Draco pulled on his sneakers quickly, leaving the common room and heading downstairs to the Great Hall on a whim. He decided last minute to lead Hermione into the room, rather than allowing her to discover it herself. At the last second, he dashed back and conjured roses, placing them in a vase on a side table next to the couch. Then he dashed back out the portrait.

Not sure if Hermione liked chocolates or any specific types of candy, he hadn't bothered to get sweets. The cocoa and roses were enough, he thought. As he headed down to meet her in the Great Hall, he thought over the process and hoped it would be enough for a smile on her face and a good shag tonight. The thought never left his mind, although he had an inkling he would be rejected.

When he entered the Great Hall where everyone was eating dinner, heads turned up at the sight of him. The Slytherin table looked livid; several people hissed at him as he walked by. Immediately whisperes erupted from every table, and everybody was staring at him. He barely flushed as he quickly stormed his way over to Hermione.

"Hello," he whispered in her ear, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. She gasped, and her entire table exploded with jeers. Some of them were so obnoxious as to cat-call at the two. Hermione looked embarrassed, and Ron looked simply furious; both of his fists were clenched tightly.

"Didn't expect to see you here," she mumbled, abrely audible. Ginny sniggered next to her.

"Ginny," Draco sneered, trying to be as polite as possible. Hermione took the greeting as respect to her and beamed at him.

Ginny simply nodded to him as a niciety, looking from him to Ron, trying to contain her laughter. Amusement must not come often to Ginny, with Harry gone, and this seemed to tickle her fancy. Draco grinned.

"Ready to go?" he asked, kneeling down next to Hermione's seat at the table.

"Where are we going?"she asked.

"Oh, Hermione, do you think me a fool? Just come on."

He pulled her off the bench and the Gryffindors stood up to protest, thinking this was an act of violence of some sort. He sneered and Hermione jabbed him in the ribs to make him stop, while telling her friends that everything was okay. Giving them quick goodbyes, including a hug to Ron, the two practically flew out of the Great Hall.

"You're strange, Draco Malfoy. What was the meaning of that?"

He grabbed her hand and smirked mischievously, not letting a word slip out of his lips. Before they got to the portrait, Draco covered her eyes with one hand and pushed the door open with the other, leading her blindly inside the room. She tripped clumsily over the mat near the door and Draco sniggered. He earned another elbow to the ribs for that, and his hand slipped off her eyes.

She gasped. "Aw, Draco. You're so sweet sometimes!"

She threw herself at him, and he caught her easily in his strong musclar arms, kissing her hard on the mouth. A feeling of warmth spread over him and suddently he felt very comfortable. He could stand there all night with her like this, attached loosely at the lips, doing nothing at all but kissing. They twirled on the spot and then she pulled reluctantly away.

"You cut your hair," she mused, playing with the ends, which were more shaggy and choppy than Draco had originally intended. Using magic to cut your hair sometimes had its bad side effects.

"Do you like it?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, I do. It was getting too long for a boy. I don't want my boyfriend having hair longer than mine, you know."

"It wasn't that long!" he complained, bouncing her curls, which were just at her chest level. Draco smirked, staring at her breasts for a second.

"Up here," she reminded him and he peered up at her. She seemed highly amused.

"Sorry, I get confused," he joked, and she slapped him. He lead her to the couch and settled onto the cushions comfortably, her in his arms.

Snapping his fingers, Draco winked to Hermione as an elf appeared with two steaming mugs of hot cocao for the couple. Hermione seemed shocked and a little upset over Draco's treatment of house elves, but said nothing to him about it. She took her mug with a small thank you, and took a long gulp of it. Choking momentarily, the heat scalded her throat. Draco laughed and took a small sip, smacking his lips afterwards.

Hermione admired the flowers Draco had conjured and thanked him, smelling them deeply while he took some long gulps without scalding his tongue at all, unlike Hermione. When he set it down, Hermione was looking at the elf with a sad expression.

"Pretty good. You can go." The elf bowed and poof-ed out of sight. Draco placed both mugs on the table and leaned back, staring into the fire.

Hermione looked awkwardly at him. "This was really sweet of you."

"I know," he said simply.

"Do you have an ulterior motive?"

"Like…"

She swallowed and flushed. Draco laughed.

"Are you still going on about that? I can be nice for no reason, sometimes. I know it doesn't seem like it."

"I never figured you'd be like that, that's all. I've never seen this side of you."

"I've never had a person to be like this with, Hermione. Never before have I had a… well, I've had girlfriends, sure. But let's not pretend that I cared for them or they were anything but… someone to sleep with."

"What can make me so sure that's not all you want me for?"

Draco barked. "Hermione, honestly, if I wanted a sex-only relationship, I wouldn't go to you. I don't wait this long, trust me. It's put out or get out."

Hermione nervously laughed. "So why am I so different?"

"I don't know." He truly didn't. "Something about you… just clicks with my brain. It sounds so strange, and even to me, it's foreign. But… it's real, you know? I sound like a fag."

"No, you sound like a real romantic, Draco. I like it." She kissed him simply. He urged her for more, but she pulled away. "And then there's… that."

"Sorry," he said, not feeling sorry at all.

"That's what we need to talk about."

"I know." He nodded. He hated having talks like this with girls. Pansy had tried once and it had ended in an all-night shag fest in the end. Draco had a feeling it wouldn't be like that with Hermione though.

"What do you want from me? Sexually, Draco."

"I want… all of you. I want to shag you, Hermione. Definitely."

"How long are you willing to wait?"

He groaned. "I don't know. Not much longer?" he said in a hopefully tone. Her face seemed strained. "Look, I don't get why you girls get so worked up about it. It's just sex. It doesn't mean anything!"

"See! That's exactly why I don't want to sleep with you. I want it to mean something to you. I don't want to be a notch in your bedpost, Draco. I don't want to be just another fucking slag to you." Hermione rarely swore.

"You're not just another girl. You're the only girl I've dated that wasn't based purely on my hormones, my needs. Yes, I want you, Hermione. I love you, I told you this. Not in the… soulmate, rest of my life kinda thing… but it's the strongest I've ever felt. You aren't like everyone else. You're different for me. This is different for me."

Hermione took a long time to take all of this in. Contemplating, she bit her fingernails while looking away from him. Every once and awhile, she turned to Draco, sighed, and then took a long sip of her hot chocolate, which was getting colder by the minute. Finally, she looked back, a pained expression on her face.

"Do you have protection?" she asked.

Draco's face lit up. "Yes! Right now?" he asked.

She laughed. "Just don't lose it."

"You're fucking cruel."

"I know. At least you know it's in your immediate future!"

"I always knew it was in my future. Malfoys always get what they want."

"Keep talking like that and you're getting nothing." He shut his mouth.

"Well, Happy Valentine's Day." He said this as though it made everything better, but it really didn't. He was let down that he wasn't going to get anything tonight.

"Stop looking so depressed and at least pretend to enjoy just cuddling with me."

"I do enjoy it," he admitted, feeling like a pathetic little boy. Hermione smirked and closed her lips on his, and the two spent the rest of the night kissing.

"Do you want to spend the night with me again?" he asked softly. Lately, they had stopped because Draco had been so detached and moody. Hermione shook her head and went to change in her room before joinging Draco back in his.

Hermione came into his room with a long shirt on, but Draco could see she had no pants or shorts on. He goggled at her and she walked straight up to him, leaning into his bare chest. Her finger traced a line down his hard abs and then back up to his hair, which she tugged at and pulled him in to kiss her. He replied eaglerly, as if he hadn't had enough of kissing her even after hours of practice.

He ran his hands down to her ass and around her legs to her inner thigh. She sighe din content but pulled away. Draco swore.

"You'll get ideas," she replied to his sigh. He snorted. "Can I have a pair of your sweatpants?" She stuck out her lower lip.

He threw a pair of gray sweatpants at her, and she stepped into them, rolling them a few times so her feet finally showed. Then, she tackled Draco into bed and the two disappeared under the covers for the night.

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**A/n- Probably the last bit of fluff and such for awhile. Review! **


	17. In Motion

**A/n- Apologies readers, I indeed got very sick and then of course had to catch up on school work. On top of that, I feel as though college applications are taking over my life. Whatever. Onward. **

**Warning: Got some lemon-ish like scenes little more than halfway through. It's not crazy though. Someone tell me if I need to change the rating for this story. I'm not sure.**

**--**

_What you need to do is be thankful for the life that you got.  
You know what I'm sayin'.  
Stop lookin' at what you ain't got  
and start bein' thankful for what you do got._

(Live Your Life, TI)

Chapter 17: In Motion

Draco's daunting mission was upon his mind every waking hour of the day. He struggled to get through classes because his mind was weighted down with the pain of what he must do. However, he was willing to save his and Hermione's lives, even if he had to give away the location of Harry Potter. This trouble him only because he expected Hermione would hate him for what he had to do; but it was his life or Harry's, and it wasn't a difficult pick.

Going back to classes had been a stupid idea. Draco realized that the second he sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast the next morning. No one greeted him nicely at all, and even his friends scooted down the table and glared at him. Clearly, news had spread fast about what had happened, and the Slytherins were backing away from any possibility of the responsibility for Draco's actions falling onto to their shoulders.

So, Draco managed to keep his head down at meal times, sitting at the very end of the table, and trek through classes lazily. Hermione usually sat with him, but she had to alternate between him and Ron often times. Draco could see the pain in Weasley's eyes every time Hermione chose Draco over him. Although it didn't bother Draco in the least, he could see the toll it was taking on Hermione.

Hermione was in a chipper mood one morning about a week later, and Draco knew it was accounted to the letter she had received from Harry late the night previous. Draco had sneaked a peek at the letter while Hermione had taken a shower in the morning. It basically said that he was on his way back to Hogwarts, and that whatever he was doing, was about to be completed. Hermione's excitement made Draco feel quite queasy.

Remembering Harry's last letter, Draco paid a visit to Snape during breakfast, rather than eating. Hermione gave him a questioning look, but he shook his head and smiled, assuring her nothing was wrong. In fact, he blamed it on schoolwork; he needed to go check up and make sure he was doing alright after all his absences. Hermione bought this and kissed him goodbye.

Even though the school was used to Draco and Hermione as a couple, it didn't mean they didn't get stares when they kissed. When the two pulled apart, a crowd of Slytherins were staring with their mouths gaping at them. Draco smirked and pulled Hermione in for one more. Hermione's cheeks went very red but she didn't protest. After their short kiss, Hermione practically ran into the Great Hall, almost tripping over her heels she was wearing.

"What are you lot staring at? Get to class or something."

Mumbling and grumbling, the group stormed into the Great Hall, some even shaking their heads angrily at Draco, as though what he was doing was illegal. In their eyes, Draco reasoned, it truly was. Chuckling to himself, he made his way up to the Headmaster's office, said the password (Cobra), and hopped up the stairs.

He knocked and waited. "Come in Draco."

Draco shivered, not knowing how Snape knew it was him, and entered the office. Today it was empty, but Snape was talking to the portraits of the headmaster's on the walls. Draco saw Dumbledore's and gulped. Dumbledore was asleep, or rather, not paying attention to Snape, certainly. Snape was having a conversation with a mean-looking Slytherin wizard on the wall. He stopped abruptly when Draco stared.

"Yes, Draco? Do you need something, perhaps?" He seemed cross at Draco.

"Indeed, Headmaster. I've found the information that the Dark Lord so desperately requires, sir."

His head titled upwards toward Draco, expressionless. "Have you now? So quickly?"

"Yes, sir. She's easier to spy on than I ever thought possible. But I need your help."

"My help? How can I assist you?"

"It's not me you are assisting… its Harry Potter, sir. I haven't a clue where he is now, but I know that he is coming here, to Hogwarts. But I'm assured from his letter that he won't enter the grounds unless you aren't here. You must leave immediately, until he comes here. Then the Dark Lord can give you the command to return, once he is cornered sir."

"Hm. We'll have to see the Dark Lord about this. Come, Draco," he spat, and walked to the fireplace. He went first, floo-ing to the Dark Lord's Manor immediately. Draco followed, hesitantly. He was quite afraid now, but knew that the good news would prevent any more beatings. Hopefully.

"Ah, Draco. Returning so soon," the Dark Lord said coldly. Draco bowed very low to him, standing in front of him, rather than on his knees.

"Yes, my Lord. I've received valuable information so that you can move forward."

"Excellent Draco. I knew you were more than competent. What do you have for me?"

"Harry Potter is on the move, sir. He's told Granger that he will be returning to Hogwarts in a few days, perhaps tomorrow or the day after. He has said that when he returns to Hogwarts, his journey will have been completed."

"Interesting." The Dark Lord looked trouble for a moment. "Is this all, Draco? He has not returned yet. I don't see why you have come so early, then."

Draco bit his lip nervously, hoping his reason for seeing Snape was good enough for the Dark Lord. Suddenly, he felt as though he had been stupid to assume Snape would be allowed to leave. What if the Dark Lord thought this was a plot for the couple to run? The look in Bellatrix's eyes, Draco noticed, was hungry and murderous. It was easy to see that he hadn't been forgiven by anyone in the Death Eater circle, either.

"I've come early, my Lord, because Potter has said that he will not come back while Snape is still in charge. I don't know where else he would mean to go, or perhaps he won't return at all. But he is intent that Snape be removed before he enters the grounds."

"Ahh. A snag."

"In-indeed my Lord."

"Simply fixed, Draco. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You've done very well. Severus, here please."

Snape walked over and bowed to the Dark Lord, kneeling at his feet obediently. "Yes, my Lord?"

"Tomorrow you will leave the school during dinner time. Leave abruptly. I will call you using the Dark Mark. Make sure to make your leave when the Granger girl is around, Severus. Make it obvious that you are in a rush, and be sure that you don't mess this up."

"Of course, my Lord. It shall be done."

"You will return here with me. Draco, when Potter arrives at the school, you are to report to me, along with the Mudblood girl. Are we understood?"

"Her- Granger must come with me?"

A cruel smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, Draco. Bring her along."

Draco stalled, feeling his heart drop to his stomach. That couldn't be good at all. He had a bad feeling that they were going to hurt her, or even kill her. The look on Bellatrix's face confirmed this. Draco swallowed but then made his face void of emotion, turning back to Voldemort.

"Of course, my Lord. I'll be sure to bring the mudblood along."

"Good boy. Oh and Draco? Make sure Potter knows you have her. He likes to act the hero, if you catch my drift."

"Yes, my Lord." So she was only bait. That was okay with Draco. He would protect her.

"Fine. You are dismissed. Severus, stay behind. I'd like to speak with you."

Draco found his own way back to the fireplace which he had just come out of barely five minutes ago. Getting everything off his chest had not made him feel any better, though. In fact, he now felt horrible that he was setting up Harry. It was going to be nearly impossible to keep this from Hermione for two days. He would just have to do his best, or else ignore her. And there was still the problem of forcing her to come with him to see the Dark Lord. This wasn't going to be easy.

--

"Draco! There you are!" Hermione called to him as she entered the common room. Draco had never returned to classes, too intent on not seeing Hermione. It was in his best interest, he knew, to stay away from her. But at the moment, he couldn't bear to do that.

"Right here," he said edgily while she skipped over to him. Receiving a quick kiss, Draco patted the cushion beside him and she sat, frowning at him slightly. It was easy to see that she was still in a very chipper mood, and Draco wasn't keen on popping her happy bubble. Neither said anything for a long minute, and then Hermione spoke again.

"Where were you today?"

"I didn't feel well," he lied casually, and she frowned again.

"What's wrong? Did you see Madame Pomfrey?" She put a hand to his forehead, as if he had a fever.

"I think I'm just tired." He swatted her hand away. "And no, I told you, I despise hospitals and anything of the sort."

"Well, did you lie down?"

"I had a nap," he quipped, eager to get off the subject. He'd been doing too much lying lately. Hermione would never forgive him for this, and it was weighing on his conscious.

"Hermione," he said quickly, without being able to stop himself.

"Yeah Draco?" She was shuffling through papers in her backpack, as if it was more important than what Draco had to say.

"Can we… talk?"

She turned around at the tone if his voice, biting her lip. Draco tried to smile but knew that she saw right through his act; that his fake cheeriness did not reach his eyes. He smoothed his pants, trying to discreetly wipe the sweat from his palms. Not being accustomed to having difficulty lying to someone, this feeling in his chest was starting to get on his nerves. There must be some way to quell his fears.

"Sure… What's up?"

"You know that…" he gulped, took a deep breath, and started more steadily. "You know that, right now, I'm all about what's good for you. I was never like that. It was always about what's best for me, no matter what. And I mean… I've never put anyone above me, ever. Until you. Because I really do… care about you. You know that, right?"

She stalled, thinking. "Are you breaking up with me?"

He chuckled uneasily. "No. I'm just trying to say that, I would never… purposefully put you into a situation where you could get hurt. That would be… regrettable, and I'd never forgive myself."

"Okay… what is this about?"

"Nothing," he replied quickly. "I just want you to know that. You can trust me. Trust me, Hermione. I need that from you right now."

"… Alright, what's going on Draco?"

"Nothing, I swear to you. On my father's grave, I swear to you, nothing bad is going to happen to you. Or me."

Hermione took a deep breath, in shock from his bold statement. Then she exhaled and smiled. "Are you being cute again Draco Malfoy?"

He sighed in relief, glad that she had accepted his speech so quickly. Now that something was off his chest and the tightness had loosened, he felt as though he could actually breathe safely. Grabbing Hermione, he pulled her close to his chest, nodding to her words, and kissed her on the lips.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" she asked him, staring at her nails like a typical superficial girl.

"Do you not have any homework?" He had been hoping that it would be simple to disappear into the shower and then his bed, to avoid any serious confrontation.

"I can do it later. I'm too happy for something boring."

"Homework is boring? Hermione Granger, who are you?" he wondered, amused. She slapped him playfully and they began to kiss eagerly.

Her hands ran through his hair and then down his chest to his belt buckle. He positioned himself above her, and she allowed his hands to roam wherever he wanted them to. The fire was blazing and the two began to get hot as the minutes wore on. Draco, however, was so preoccupied that he was having trouble getting too into it. A few minutes later, he sat up.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, ruffling her air. The pink tinges on her cheeks made Draco smirk.

"Let's go upstairs," he suggested and she nodded, sitting up. In the light of the fire, she seemed so much more innocent and sexual at the same time. It really set the mood for Draco, and suddenly, he could remember nothing about the Dark Lord.

The two rushed up the stairs, into Draco's room as usual. Hermione took the reins of control this time, straddling Draco on his sheets and initiating the first kiss, which was hot and sensual. Draco responded excitedly, his tongue tracing the contours of her lips and entered her mouth slowly yet urgently. Hermione giggled into his mouth, feeling him digging into her leg.

It didn't take long for Draco to get very far with Hermione. Her shirt was upon the floor by way of Draco's nimble fingers quite quickly and his followed not long after. His hands didn't obey any type of control that Draco tried to discipline himself with. It seemed as though they had a mind of their own, because before long he was deftly undoing the button of her Muggle jeans. Skirting rejection, her pants slid off and Draco ran his hands down the smoothness of Hermione's bare thighs.

"Mmm," she moaned softly, and Draco took over the top position, allowing her to rest her head back upon the pillow. Draco smirked and kissed from her neck down her stomach, to her panties' line and then back to her lips. She shivered from the feeling of his warm lips upon her cold skin. Goosebumps, whether from cold or Draco's touch, creeped upon her pale skin.

His hand found its' way into her panties and Hermione shook her head, yes. Draco, elated, smirked and closed his mouth upon hers as two fingers slipped inside her slowly. She gasped into his mouth suddenly but then got back into control. His fingers moved, sliding in and out and gathering speed as her breath and pulse quickened. After he got her close enough, he devilishly slid out, leaving her breathless. She sighed in extreme content but with a tad bit of annoyance.

"You are…" she cut off.

"I am what?" he asked.

"So good," she finished, and Draco's ego inflated.

"You have no idea. You're about to find out though," he said confidently, but Hermione was shaking her head back and forth, saying no.

"No? Why not?"

"I sad no, Draco."

He cursed again, his mood ruined now. What else did this girl want from him? Had he not given her what she wanted? And now he got nothing in return. Girls were so frustrating and complicated.

"Come on, Hermione. What am I waiting for?"

"You're waiting for my consent. You said you'd be patient, and now we're testing it."

"Yeah but-"

She silenced him with a kiss. "No but's. A little longer, Draco, and then you can have me. All of me."

He groaned. She had this way of speaking to him that turned him on, made him want more, and rejected him all at once. It was so tempting; she was so tempting. Especially the way she looked now, almost completely without clothes. Draco had to admit, Hermione was definitely quite the catch. When he did indeed shag her, she'd probably be the best looking girl he'd ever scored with. He could wait for that.

"Okay, fine. But only because you're so bloody hot right now." His eyes traveled all over her body again. She got red and quickly covered herself with the sheet.

"No looking," she squealed.

"Why? It's mine, all mine." He licked her stomach jokingly. She hit him.

"Stop it. You're so dominant all the time."

"I'm a man, what do you expect?"

She laughed. "Nothing, from you especially."

"What does that mean?"

"That means that if you want me to sleep with you, you need to keep your mouth shut from now on and be a teeny bit more patient."

Draco grumbled but chose not to respond at all. He slipped off his own jeans and got under the covers, naked except for his boxers. Hermione watched him as he went; her eyes wide open, staring at him openly. Pulling on her hand, Draco urged her to climb into his bed, which she did. She cuddled up against him, and he couldn't control the way her body turned him on even when she wasn't attempting.

"Night," she yawned and Draco grunted in return, letting his arm fall across her and holding her closely.

--

"Draco, guess what?" Hermione asked him the next day, pulling his hand closer to her body so she entwined her fingers with his.

"What?" he snapped. The whole day he had tried to keep his mood in control, to not give anything away, but his patience was dwindling. Now that the two were on their way to dinner, he was finally ebbing away the last remains of control. He couldn't let Hermione figure out anything was amiss now, right before the big moment.

"I think Harry is coming back soon. Tomorrow, maybe."

"Really? That's exciting," he said, rolling his eyes. She glared at him angrily.

"Can't you be happy, for me, at least?"

"I'm overjoyed," he replied sarcastically, a lazy grin spreading onto his face.

"You're a prick, Draco." She was joking.

"I know, I know. Thank you very much."

They separated at the Great Hall entrance, Hermione heading towards the Gryffindor table, and Draco towards his table with the Slytherins. Blaise patted the bench next to him, and Draco, surprised, sat numbly next to him. He pulled a plate towards him and acted as though nothing had changed, as though he hadn't spent the last few weeks sitting away from his old friends.

"Welcome back, Draco," Blaise said confidently, patting him on the shoulder. Pansy blew him a kiss, and a few of the girls batted their eyelashes at him and winked. He smirked, happy for the attention, but looked away and concentrated on his dinner. Any moment now, Snape would see that they had arrived and take his leave.

It didn't take long. A few minutes later, halfway into his steak, Snape abruptly stood up, a snarl on his face. Staring at Draco meaningfully, he stepped away from the table and left through the back entrance of the Great Hall. That was it. It was over now, and Draco just had to play the waiting game.

"What was that all about?" Blaise asked, laughing. "Look like he'd seen the Dark Lord himself."

Draco laughed weakly. "Yeah, I don't know. Too much food, I guess." He chuckled again.

Then there was a large boom, followed by a sound of creaking doors. Draco focused on the doors of the Great Hall and saw a figured, soaked to the bone, step out of the shadows and into the candlelight of the Great Hall. A shriek was heard and then half of the Gryffindor table roared in response.

Harry Potter had returned to Hogwarts.

--

**A/n- That took FOREVER! I'm aware. I'm sorry. Please review and 'll try to crank the next one out soon.**


	18. Commands

**A/n- Things are getting pretty crazy. However, I'm hoping that as we near December, updates will become steadier. Once college apps are done, I'll have Christmas Break for a sigh of relief and well-needed stress-free time. In the meantime, however…**

--

_And I thought I'd live forever, but now I'm not so sure.  
You try to tell me that I'm clever,  
But that won't take me anyhow, or anywhere with you.  
You said that I was naive,  
And I thought that I was strong.  
I thought, "hey, I can leave, I can leave."  
But now I know that I was wrong, 'cause I missed you._

(Stay I Missed You, New Found Glory –originally Lisa Loeb-)

Chapter 18: Commands

"Harry!"

"Potter!"

"Welcome back!"

There was a large burst of exclamation from all over the Great Hall and quite a bit of pushing and shoving as more than half of the students and teachers pushed aside their benches and tried to hug Harry or pat him on the back. The Slytherin table remained immobile. Most of their eyes were sharp, their lips pulled downward to a scowl. Draco ignored the ruckus and continued eating as if nothing had happened. Blaise laughed heartedly at his expression but followed his lead, trying to block out the screams of excited girls.

Draco managed to push his way out of the congested Hall earlier than most using a few well aimed hexes. He had a feeling people weren't going to be too happy with the effects, but he laughed this off and continued upstairs. The sinking feeling in his stomach was telling him that Hermione would not be joining him for bed tonight.

He was correct in this assumption; when Hermione hadn't returned to the common room the two shared by 1 a.m., Draco retired to his four-poster bed alone. It wasn't easy to sleep alone after so many nights of feeling Hermione's warmth beside him. He tossed and turned, plagued by feelings of loneliness and dreams about what needed to occur tomorrow.

After six hours of discontent sleep, Draco rose to shower and prepare for the day. Hermione's disregard of returning home last night had its' upside; he would now have an easy excuse to find her and whisk her away while in Potter's presence. While the water fell onto his pale skin, Draco contemplated exactly what he would do, and even thought out different ways of telling her to come with him.

Showering did little to loosen his muscles today, and after an almost-hour long shower, his skin was wrinkled and red from the heat. He stepped out and wrapped himself in a fluffy white towel. Half in a daze, he dried himself off, charmed his hair dry and his teeth clean, and wandered into his bedroom in order to change. Today, he chose to wear black robes; Voldemort would enjoy wizard attire over Muggle clothes.

Looking around his room, he tried to think about what would be needed when he lured Hermione away from her friends. Nothing struck him as important, so he pocketed only his wand and headed out the door and down the stairs. Checking to make sure the fire had gone out properly and the room was clean, he swept out of the common room and towards where he knew the Gryffindor portrait to be.

When he reached the Fat Lady, he stood in front of it expectantly. There was no handle, and he wasn't exactly sure what to do. The Fat Lady was awake and staring at him oddly, as if she'd never seen him before (which she hadn't). Draco cleared his throat.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked edgily. Draco frowned, not sure what the password was.

"Uhm… Harry?" he guessed, not sure what it would be.

The Fat Lady groaned. "I know I shouldn't have changed it to an obvious name. Now I have to change it again. Go on in." The portrait, to Draco's delight, opened before him. The Fat Lady was muttering when he closed the door behind him and crawled through the space provided.

"Draco? Is that you?" he heard Hermione ask, before he even saw her. He dusted off his clean robes and looked up to see her marching towards him, a smile spread across her angelic features.

"Yep. I guessed the password right. It was Harry. So difficult to guess," he said sarcastically, talking a bit faster than normal. Hermione didn't seem to notice and dragged him over to where her friends were.

He gave a half wave to the circle of people that were crowded around Harry; Ginny, Parvati, Lavender, Ron, and now himself and Hermione. No one returned his gesture. Ron sneered at him and focused back on Harry, who was apparently in mid-story. Parvati and Lavender were giggling madly and fluttering their eyelashes at him as though he was some sort of God. Ginny's ears were red, most likely out of anger.

"And then, if you can believe it, he chased me out of the pub and threatened to call Voldemort himself. As if he knew where the scumbag was. Needless to say, I didn't come back." Harry had finished his story and the two giggling girls returned to where their homework was spread out on the table.

"So, how long are you back for?" Ron asked. Harry was about to say something but he caught Draco leaning forward intently and narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sharply.

"Me? Coming to congratulate you on your return, mate." Hermione smacked him across the arm and he smirked.

"Funny. Seriously. Who let you in?"

"I guessed the password. Your portrait isn't as intelligent as I imagined, although, now that Hermione lives with me, you lot must be rubbing off on her."

Harry started forward but Ginny restrained him, but Ron was already out of his chair. Hermione stepped in between, but Draco poked his head around.

"Want another go, Weasley? Haven't had enough? Two bruises and your ego, then?"

"Draco, stop it. Ron, sit down," Hermione said calmly, glaring at Draco.

"Whatever," Ron replied, flopping down on the chair, looking away from the couple. Hermione turned to Draco.

"Can we talk outside. Privately," she added, glaring at her two friends behind her. Harry shrugged and Ron didn't even turn to look at them. Draco was gleeful. This would be too easy now.

"Sure."

The two trudged outside. The Fat Lady seemed to be in deep thought; thinking of a new password, most likely. Hermione led Draco a few paces down the hallway, where no one was likely to overhear them or stumble upon them.

"Is it possible for you to be civil to anybody?" she snapped.

"I'm civil to you," he said, pulling her closer. She obliged but turned her face away when he went in for a kiss. Sighing, he pulled away and looked at her steadily. Eye contact would be important, but so would control.

"Look… I've been in trouble, Hermione. A lot of trouble. And I've done a lot of dumb things that I have to fix now."

"Like what?"

"There's no time to explain. But I need you to come with me. Right now. This is important. This is about protecting you, not me."

"… Alright. Are you in big trouble? With who?"

"Can I tell you when we get there?" he suggested, trying to buy himself time to think.

"Of course… Let me just tell Harry and Ron where I'm going."

Draco was almost going to let her go and tell them when he realized that they'd most likely come to look for her faster if she never returned. Grabbing her arm, he shook his head. He knew his eyes reflected fear because she studied him closely and then whimpered.

"It's gunna be okay. Come on, they'll figure out where I've gone. Lead the way."

Draco nodded slowly and pulled her in for a kiss. It was long and passionate; Draco remembered that this may be the last kiss he got from her if the war that would surely ensure tonight finished one of them forever. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case, but Draco didn't know. After their kiss, Draco began marching towards their common room. It'd be easier to use their fire; less suspicious.

"Go," he urged her once they were in the room, nodding towards the grate. She looked at him oddly. He handed her the pot of floo powder and she took a handful. "The Dark Lord's Manor."

"What?"

"He won't be there. He's at my Manor, and my mother is staying here."

She looked nervous. "Alright," she said cautiously, accepting the lie. Draco could see the suspicion in her face. Draco knew she wasn't intelligent, so it was obvious that she trusted him. His stomach turned over painfully.

"The Dark Lord's Manor." She spun away in green flames. Draco followed as quickly as possible, falling into the dark abyss and sickening lime green.

When he appeared, there was hush all over the room. Draco could see the Dark Lord perched on his chair, high above the circle of death eaters. Bellatrix emerged from the crowded, grabbed Hermione by the hair and yanked her towards the center. Flinging her upon the floor, the death eater circle closed its' rank, leaving only Draco, Bellatrix, and Hermione in the center.

Draco stepped forward, clearly his throat. Although he could feel Hermione's eyes boring into his head, he didn't even so much as glance at her in any way. There would be no way he could mess anything up now; he could show no sign of affection for her, or even any sense of neutrality. He had chosen his side; at least, that's what Voldemort believed.

"Draco. You've done well. You've succeeded. And you will be rewarded so highly."

Bellatrix looked extremely pleased. The Dark Lord showed no emotion, his long fingers pressed together, amused. Draco coughed and met his cold slits for eyes, trying to hide anything in his brain. He knew that the Dark Lord could penetrate his thoughts easily, but he was making no attempt.

"Yes, my Lord. Everything has gone exactly as you've planned."

"Potter has returned, and is aware that you have the girl?"

"The last Potter has heard of us, we were rushing out together for a 'private chat', my Lord. No doubt they are realizing she is gone by now, and attempting to penetrate into the common room."

"Wonderful. I cannot stress to you how… pleased I am with you, Draco. You are not as weak as I first imagined. The plan, it seems, has worked flawlessly. Before long, Potter will rush to the mudblood's defense. And then… the score shall be settled. No doubt will he bring reinforcements, and they will be killed too."

The death eaters snickered and growled. Some of them flexed their muscles or flaunted their wands foolishly. Snape remained completely still, his eyes locking into Draco's gray ones. He was attempting to communicate with him, but Draco wasn't catching what he was saying. Before he got distracted, he looked away.

"Now, Draco. I have told you that you will be rewarded. When I've taken over, this will be so. But I require one more task of you."

"Anything, my Lord."

"Anything, indeed. It's simple Draco." He paused, and it seemed that everyone in the room held their breath. "Kill her."

Draco froze, turning slowly to look at Hermione, who had tears streaking down her eyes. When she met Draco's glare, she stopped sobbing and glared at him. She had never felt more betrayed in her life, and her entire face reflected that. Draco cautiously looked away.

"K-kill her, my Lord? What for?"

"Well, Draco, you see… she's only bait. And there's no need to create more distractions. When Potter arrives, he'll see she is dead and want to avenge her murder. She will only die in the end anyways. I simply ask that _you_ kill her. Think of it as your final test of loyalty."

"But-but…"

"Fine. If we have to harden your nerves then so be it. Bellatrix, I believe you would like to do the honors?"

"Of course my Lord," she cooed, stalking forward. Hermione tried to run away, to reach for her wand, but Bellatrix was quicker.

Grabbing her by the hair again, she dragged Hermione right into the center of the floor to Draco's feet. He looked straight ahead, refusing to look at the weeping Hermione on the floor. She went to reach for her wand but Bellatrix cursed it from her immediately. It landed with an echo on the stone floor about a hundred feet away. Draco chose to stare at her wand instead of her face.

Hermione was trying to crawl away but Bellatrix wasn't having any of that; in a moment, Hermione was screaming in pain from Bellatrix's spell.

"Crucio," she muttered, again and again, stopping the pain and starting it again as quickly as it had stopped. Draco was doing everything he could in his power to look away from Hermione and block out her pained screams. Hands shaking, palms sweating, he fought the urge to snap and start attacking people. The most he could do for Hermione right now was to stall as long as possible.

"Draco!" she cried out again, and his resolve cracked. He looked down at her and she was writhing in pain, eyeliner streaming down her face in small rivers.

His eyes widened and suddenly he felt like crying; he never should have done this. He was stupid to believe that Voldemort was going to let her walk away without killing her first. The Dark Lord had played him as a fool this whole time, and now Hermione was going to pay for his mistakes. Taking a deep breath, he backed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Done watching?" Bellatrix asked cruelly. Draco looked up at her, emptily. Hermione was on the ground, coughing and sputtering. Draco could see blood ooze out of her mouth. The internal pain had gotten farther than he had imagined.

"Y-yes."

"Well, proceed then." She ushered him forward and he almost tripped on the stone and onto Hermione, but managed to catch himself. He looked down at her again and shook his head, disgusted with himself.

"Draco… please."

He froze as his hand was going to his pocket. He could never kill Hermione, but he needed to buy as much time as possible. The Dark Lord was leaning forward in his seat now, seemingly entertained. Draco looked at him, not sure what to say.

"Oh, do proceed. I enjoy a good soap opera."

Draco fought the urge to curse him and turned back to Hermione.

"Draco… you wouldn't… you promised."

"I love you," he mouthed, but she didn't see and he had a feeling she'd never believe him either way. Resigned, he grabbed the wand out of his pocket, not sure yet what he was to do with it.

Then, a few things happened at once. There was a flash of light, a thud, and yells and groans from near the fireplace. Voldemort was trying to see over everybody's heads but suddenly the room went into complete darkness. Draco dove down to find Hermione and grabbed her hand. She squealed but he quieted her with his hand, groping around for her wand on the floor.

Crawling, he managed to find it and handed it to her. She said nothing in response. All around them, he could hear people muttering failed lumos's. Draco knew that some sort of Weasley product was the cause of this, but he didn't care at the moment. He grabbed Hermione and held onto her, trying to make her stand.

"NOBODY MOVE!" he heard Voldemort command, and the rustling stopped. "We've been penetrated."

There were a few more yells from the death eaters who were scrambling to find footing and a safe place to stand. Voldemort fired off sparks everywhere and suddenly the light was restored, but only for a moment. In the few seconds he could see, Draco saw Harry, Ron, and a mass of people filtering tier ways along the walls.

And then all went black again.

--

**A/n- I like cliffhangers. **


	19. Dun Dun, DunDunDun

**A/n- Alright, a lot of you reviewed. When I say a lot, I mean, I think that was the highest reviewed chapter in the history of this story. I don't feel like checking. Which makes me happy to write a new chapter. Thank you so much for all your support. Keep the reviews coming. This chapter will be longer, I know the last one was a bit short.**

**This week, I'm going to dedicate this chapter to a loyal reader since my very first story; Zarroc. Thank you for sticking around. 3**

--

_I remember brown eyes,  
So sad and blue skies.  
Turned to darkness and night.  
I'm so sick of the fight.  
I won't breathe unless you breathe,  
Won't bleed unless you bleed.  
Won't be unless you be,  
'Till I'm gone and I can sleep._

(Circles, Hollywood Undead)

Chapter 19: Dun Dun, DunDunDun

"Hermione!" Draco harshly whispered, searching for her hand.

"Get the fuck away from me," she muttered angrily in return.

"Are you alright?" he asked harshly. He could feel her turning towards him.

"I'm fine, no thanks to you. Back off."

Feeling her move beside him, he shifted into a standing position, knowing that they were parting ways. She moved away from him and he darted into the darkness, feeling blindly for the wall.

He bumped into several bodies until he found the concrete. The atmosphere was a haze of yells, curses, and swears as people wrestled their way away from the source of danger. However, no one knew who was who, and where the danger actually was. Draco was relieved that he found the wall, where he knew Harry and the Order to be. Now, he reckoned, he was a traitor to them.

Beside him on the wall was definitely a group of people convening; he wasn't sure if it was death eaters or a group of Order members. It was difficult to hear them speaking in low tones over the shuffling and mass chaos from the center of the room. Draco quietly wondered where Voldemort had disappeared too. Slowly, he edged closer to the group, slinking along the wall stealthily.

"- worked perfectly, Harry."

Draco would have gasped if he hadn't been so close. The voice that spoke was Ron's, and Draco was almost positive that he was practically on top of him. Backing away slowly, but only just, he maintained his grip on his wand, and a firm hand on the stone wall.

"I know. Malfoy is a rat for even attempting something like this. He'll get his, Ron. I know you're angry," Harry said, his voice shaking from either anger or anxiety.

"Hate to interrupt," this voice was Lupin's, "but we need to get settled. Everyone is accounted for. Let's go."

Draco heard the group move and then Ron backed into him. He tried to dodge his body, but it was practically on top of him now. Diving to the side, Ron lumbered around, confused for a moment.

"Who'd I just bump into?" he asked stupidly.

"I don't know," Ginny snapped in return. They were getting louder without realizing it.

"Turn the lights back on Harry, let's go." There was a fumbling around and then the light shone magnificently.

Draco could see a quick flash of the room before him; huddles of Death Eaters in the center of the room, and Order members all along the walls, wands out. Ron was staring directly at him, his face turning redder by the moment. Across the hall and beyond Ron's shoulder, Hermione was hunched against the stone, breathing laboriously but still keeping her wand at the ready. Voldemort was not in sight.

"I ought to kill you!" Ron screamed, diving at Draco. The sounds of amazement at the lights being back stopped and everyone looked around at the scene.

"LIGHTS HARRY!" Ginny roared, and the lights went back out instantly. Ron released the front of Draco's robes, now confused as to what was going on in the pitch black.

"Ron, get over here. Malfoy, where the hell are you?" Harry whispered.

"Like I'm going to tell you, Potter."

"Grab him, Ron." Ron's hands roughly grabbed him, somehow measuring the distance between the two boys accurately. Draco attempted to escape but two stronger hands gripped him, throwing him against the wall roughly.

"I think we're all in position," Harry was whispering, "so when I turn the lights on, full force. I'll be going to find Voldemort. He's got to be somewhere around here."

"You're going to get lost, Harry."

"That's why we have Malfoy, isn't it?"

The others snickered and agreed with him, of course. Draco was rolling his eyes; he'd never, in a million years, help Harry Potter. Especially to fight the Dark Lord. That's the last thing Draco Malfoy needed.

"On my go, then. 3… 2… 1… Go."

It was like the group had rehearsed this plan, or something of the sort. Harry turned the lights back on, in his mysterious way, and the group charged. The other Order members and odd assortment of fighters saw their moves and copied, heading towards the middle. The Death Eaters, dazed and confused, stood up with their wands at the ready. Draco could see the murderous looks upon their faces. They were ready for whatever the Order was about to bring to the table.

Harry grabbed Draco roughly about the shoulders and began wheeling him to the door on the opposite side of the room. Draco, resisting, pushed himself away from Harry's grip and put up his wand.

"Don't fuck with me, Malfoy," he threatened, his wand held up to Draco's temple.

"I dare you."

"Don't tempt me."

A green light whizzed by Harry's ear, catching him off guard. The two boys ducked and scattered, realizing they were in the middle of a battle scene. Weaving around bodies and curses, Draco made his way back over to the wall, where Harry again cut him off.

"There's no time to explain, Malfoy. But I know what's going on. Truce," he called, and Draco looked at him oddly. "Come on!"

Having no better option other than staying here and being forced to fend off either Death Eaters or Harry's minions, Draco followed Harry to the exit at the back of the room, behind where Voldemort had been previously sitting. The two boys closed the door and Draco, clearly the more prepared of the two, used a charm to lock the door. Knowing it wouldn't do much, they set off quickly.

Harry seemed to be in quite a rush; he ignored the sounds of fighting, which seemed to echo throughout the house no matter how far away they walked from the main room of fighting. Draco could feel the house quaking beneath his very feet. Neither boy talked; Draco wasn't sure why he had come along at all. Harry seemed to be following any random direction, muttering to himself and holding his wand up high.

"Potter, why did I come if you're going to go in random directions?"

"Well, do you have any clue where he would be?"

Draco thought fully about this. Recently, the Dark Lord had acquired this house and began to fill it with any and all possessions. Although Draco had only been in the house a few times, the one place he had been showed numerous times was the trophy room. Not knowing too much about the Dark Lord except that he was egocentric, Draco felt that this could be a good place to start.

"Sure. He likes trophies, right? Heirlooms. Anything about his past or important people."

"How did you know that?"

"Potter, I was a death eater. Come now. My whole family has been."

"Point taken. So the trophy room?" he replied, excited.

"Definitely. It's this way," he said, judging his location quickly. They were deep into the house now, which was bigger than Draco's Manor. He knew that the main staircase, which would lead to the trophy room, was down a few hallways. He took a right down the next hallway and began to follow it.

"Alright. You sure you know where you're going?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

"And this isn't a trap?"

He paused. "If you thought it was, you wouldn't have come."

"Good point. So why did listen to Voldemort? Why didn't you just tell Hermione what he forced you to do?"

"It's not that simple, Potter."

"No, I would know nothing about it, right?" Draco could see that he was highly annoyed. They talked in whispers as Draco took another right, now getting closer to the main lobby.

"Potter, you've clearly always been against evil. It isn't so black and white for me."

"Yes, but, you've been delving more into black and white haven't you? Being with Hermione and everything?"

"I suppose. It's not as though I've forgotten the prejudice, though. I've always been a shade of gray."

"So you still think you're better than her because you are a pureblood and she's not."

Draco was severely annoyed, and had half a mind to turn around and head straight back to the fight. At least he'd have a bit of action. His conversation with Potter wasn't the type of action he had been expecting. More than anything, he wanted to make sure Hermione was alright. As pathetic as it sounded, Draco cared more about her than he cared for himself. If anything happened to her, he would be empty.

"I don't think that," he assured Harry. Harry looked over to him and gave him a half smile.

"I never imagined that you, of all people, would come around."

"How did you know that I didn't mean to hurt Hermione?"

Harry smirked at him. "Truthfully? I know you'd never do that to Hermione. You're a much more honest mate than I've imagined. Hermione tells Ginny a lot about you, and she told me immediately. I honestly don't think anyone can deceive Hermione, especially when she's cautious. And she was, with you. And secondly, I had some help."

"Help?"

He seemed to smile wistfully. "An unexpected ally." The look on his face seemed odd. Then a light went on in Draco's head.

"Snape?"

"None other. Are we there?"

Draco looked up, and sure enough, they were at the bottom of the staircase. "Yes. We're here. It's at the top of the staircase."

"Alright."

"Should I come with you…?"

"No. I've got to do it alone. I know he's up there. Go back to the others."

"Are you-"

"Go, Malfoy."

Draco didn't need to be told another time. He turned around and flew down the hallways, the walls a blur on the sides of him. It would only be a matter of time before the fight spilled either outside onto the front lawn or into the Manor even further. As Draco grew closer, he realized the fight had indeed spread outside the walls.

He burst through the door to the original room; there was nobody in sight but bodies. He shuddered and ignoring the faces, made his way outside and into a world of chaos. The sky itself seemed to be alight with fire; in reality, curses flew the air so quickly it looked as that the sky had burst into flames. Draco ran outside, and rain pelted his skin.

Of course, it would be raining right now. He robes were instantly soaked through and covered with mud; of course, he had to have chosen a good pair of robes. Pushing aside that thought, he fought his way towards the battle ensuing on the grounds. You could barely tell who was who; the only way was that the Death Eaters had their hoods on to protect their faces from rain.

Running, he almost slammed into a burly Death Eater whom he couldn't recognize. The Death Eater seemed shocked for a moment and pulled out his wand, but Draco was quicker.

"Stupefy!"

The Death Eater wobbled on the spot and fell face down into the mud. Draco was sure he would awake eventually, but he would only kill if he was shot as lethally first. As Dumbledore had told him, Draco was no killer at heart. His only concern was to survive and make sure that Hermione survived.

"Malfoy!" he heard, and he whirled around. Blaise was sprinting towards him, no Death Eater cloak upon his body.

"Blaise! Where's your cloak?"

He shook his head. "I was only into that for the power, man. I don't want to kill people!"

Draco shook his head; that was typical Blaise. "Where's Pansy?"

"Fighting. She didn't share my views."

"Of course not. Watch it." They ducked as a Killing Curse flew by their heads. "We better get going. Good luck."

Draco took off before Blaise could respond; he wasn't much into fair-weather friends at the moment. The only upside to the mass of curses was the light they provided; Draco found it easier to weave through bodies when there was light. Twice he tripped over people dead or hurt on the ground, but he couldn't stop to help anybody. His mind was going ten times too fast to concentrate on anything but finding Hermione.

He was running when he saw something out of the corner of his eye; a green blast of light coming in his direction, but about to hit the figure to the right of him. He saw long, flaming red hair; Ginny. Jumping to action, he ran faster in that direction than the curse.

"Protego!" he yelled, deflecting the curse from Ginny's head. She looked towards him oddly, and then snapped back to attention.

"Thanks for that one!"

"Your welcome!" he shouted in return, sending a Killing Curse to the Death Eater that had attacked Ginny, but missing by inches.

"GINNY!" he heard, and Ron came streaming across the field, tackling the Death Eater with his body. The two wrestled and Ron emerged victoriously, killing him with a curse immediately. Draco was shocked.

After Ron saved Ginny, there was no reason to stick around. He didn't want Ron to catch sight of him and distract him any more than possible; he was already on the lookout for Hermione again. Heading to the left now, he shot across the muddy ground. Luckily, he wasn't attacked. No one seemed to pay much attention to the blonde haired boy who had no desire to enter the conflict more than possible.

And then he saw her; dueling three wizards on the far side of the field. He was a hundred yards away, and she seemed to be falling back quickly. No one paid any attention to her; no one saw her but him. He paused, and then started running as fast as he could.

"Avada Kedavra!" he screamed, his voice coming out hoarsely. The biggest Death Eater, caught completed off guard, fell to the ground. His friends, confused, turned around.

Hermione was wobbling dangerously in the moonlight; it was clear that she was weak. Draco took over for her; dueling both at once. It wasn't easy.

He barely dodged two well aimed hexes, and shot stunning spells at both, missing as well. His eyes darted back and forth from his duel to Hermione, who was shooting spells at one of them. Draco allowed her to duel one, and kept the other's attention occupied.

Finally, with a well-placed Stunning Spell, he knocked the second one out. Not taking any chances, he killed him with a killing spell aimed at the ground. He saw the man's eyes roll back into his head and he was completed still. Draco, feeling sick, looked away as quickly as possible. Turning back to Hermione's duel, he saw her resolve failing. A hex hit her in the rest.

"No!" he screamed, and the Death Eater was laughing. The world was spinning for Draco; he felt as though he was no longer himself.

He launched himself at the Death Eater, knocking him sideways, and they began to duel. He made him way over, with dancing steps, to Hermione's side. She seemed dazed and confused, but was still awake. She was aware, and could see Draco dueling for her, but said nothing at all. He eyes, wide open, looked frightened.

"Sectumsempra!" he heard, and then felt pain all over his body.

"Shit!" he screamed, the wounds opening and bleeding freely. He could barely afford the time, but he healed himself with the best healing spell he knew off the top of his head, and then looked up. The Death Eater was closing in.

"Avada Kedavra!" the Death Eater exclaimed, and Draco dove down, knocking Hermione off her feet and into the wet ground.

Picking himself up, Draco scrambled to fight footing in the mud. The Death Eater looked victorious, and took off the mask.

"Bellatrix!"

She cackled. Draco began to duel with her again, more fierce this time. Draco had no doubt that he would die right here; he was no match for his aunt, especially with his mind elsewhere and his wounds still openly bleeding. In fact, he was starting to feel woozy.

Tears streamed from his eyes as he thought of dying right here, not being able to protect Hermione. Bellatrix seemed not to care; she forced Draco to dodge each and every hex. Finally, he managed to deflect one back at her, which slowed her down. Now was his only chance.

"Impedimienta!" he yelled, and she froze in mid-curse, slowing her whole process down. Draco waved the wand again, and with as much force as he could muster, screamed, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

He saw the shocked form of Bellatrix watch as the curse, aimed at her heart, accepted the curse and hit her body straight on. She didn't scream or have any response; he body was a lifeless mass as it fell to the ground with a splash of mud and a loud thud. Draco fell to his knees, half-crying and half-smiling.

Crawling over to Hermione, he grabbed her and picked her up and into his arms. She stared at him, her face covered in mud, her hair mussed, and her clothes trampled upon and muddy. The two connected eyes and he could see that he was forgiven entirely; her eyes told him everything.

In the dim light, Hermione pulled him closer and they kissed, amid the screams, curses, and the dead. The world slowed his Draco's mind, and their breath fell evenly together. Hermione sighed contentedly as they continued to share a kiss that meant everything to the two of them. No matter how inappropriate the timing, nothing was ever more important.

"Draco," she muttered, pulling away.

"Yes?" he asked, urgently. All he wanted was her lips upon his once again.

"I'm in love with you."

The world went quiet.

"I'm in love with you too, Hermione Granger."

Her eyes drooped, and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "Hermione, marry me."

She coughed, and looked up at him. "What?"

"Marry me, be with me, forever."

There was no hesitation. "Okay."

Draco sighed contentedly. Hermione passed out in his arms.

--

Three days later, Hermione awoke in the hospital wing with Draco nodding off next to her in a chair. Hearing her stirring and groaning, he opened his eyes and peered over. Her eyes, wide open, looked scared.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, and she looked from him, to the white bed, to the nurses scrambling around to all the beds.

"Where am I?"

"The Hospital Wing. St. Mungo's was a bit full, so we moved you here. Do you feel okay? Do you need medicine?"

She shook her head back and forth and then held it in her hands. Draco slowly pushed her back down onto the pillow and called over the nurse to administer her some more potions. Although she tried to refuse, the nurse didn't listen and practically forced it down her throat. In a moment, she seemed to be a bit more alert.

"What happened?"

"A lot," he admitted, chuckling. She shot him a look and then reached out her arms for him, like a small child.

Laughing, he leaned him and kissed her on the lips, nose, and then forehead. She giggled softly, and then coughed. Her whole body shook with the effort, but she quickly caught herself and took a deep breath. Draco played with her hair for a moment and then smiled. She returned it.

"Tell me what happened. I remember you taking me to Voldemort's Manor."

"Another time," he suggested, not wanting to upset her.

"Tell me." She was serious, so he sighed, and began to tell her the story.

Hermione was a decent listener; the whole time, she said nothing at all but mainly stared at Draco a lot and shook her head. There were points that he couldn't tell her, such as what happened when he went with Harry, but there were other parts that he could fill in for her gaps. The story went by more quickly than he expected, and to his delight, she wasn't too upset. Like Harry, she understand why he had done whet he did.

He stopped at the part where he saved her.

"So, you saved me. What then?"

"Uhm…"

"Draco, tell me. What is it?" She seemed concerned, as though she may have done something embarrassing or foolish.

"Well, you told me you were in love with me."

She smiled faintly. "I don't think you needed to remind me. I know that now."

"Me too," he said stupidly, and she smiled, stroking his face gently with her fingers.

"Anything else?"

He mumbled incoherently.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"I asked you to marry me."

She gasped. "You did? What did I say?"

"You said yes."

"Oh okay. Good thing."

"You're crazy. We can't really get married. It was so in the moment. We're too young."

She laughed. "You're younger than me, Draco. We can get married whenever we want."

"How can you know, right now, that you want to be with me for the rest of your life?"

"Draco. I owe you my life. The least I can do is give you my entire life. And besides, I want to be with you. Don't you want to be with me?"

"Well, yes. I suppose. I never thought about it until right then and there."

"That's good enough for me," she said, shrugging. "It doesn't have to be right away."

"Okay," he agreed. "Definitely after graduation."

"Sure," she replied, "oh, and Draco?"

"Mmm?"

"My ring size is 5 and a half."

--

**A/n- Long enough? Reviews 3**


	20. Being a Malfoy

**A/n- I got a lot of feedback about last chapter. Most of you were satisfied, so thank you very much. Your reviews showed enthusiasm and excitement, and I'm really happy. For those of you who felt it was rushed, cliché, or whatever else: I thank you for your input anyways, and hope that if you continue to read you see where I was aiming to go.**

**There's only a few chapters left. So, enjoy. I'll have a new story coming out shortly after this one is completed. Maybe even two. (Waits for claps).**

--

_I was so scared of everything you put in front of me  
I've been arching every part of me  
Just to see... See, why you need me to be  
The boy you need me to be  
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound  
That saves a wretch like me  
I once was lost and now I'm found  
Was blind but now I see_

[Amazing Because It Is, The Almost]

Chapter 20: Being a Malfoy

A few days after Hermione awoke in the hospital wing, Draco and Hermione were relaxing under a big oak tree on the grounds. Hermione's head was on Draco's stomach, and he was playing with the ringlets of her hair softly. They had just returned from seeing Harry, who was in St. Mungo's, but was recovering quickly. Hermione was in high spirits because he was expected to be released the following day.

Draco looked across the lake and saw Ron and Ginny, both doing their homework on the banks of the lake. The two Weasleys normally were seen with Harry, but since he was still in the hospital, they were keeping mainly to themselves. Their mother wasn't allowing them to stay day and night at the hospital, although Ginny had threw quite a tantrum and almost gotten her way before Harry had interjected. Draco laughed at the memory.

It hadn't been his choice to visit Harry; Hermione had forced him to come along. He hadn't truly minded, since he owed Harry quite a lot. Draco knew that it was due to his explanations that Ron hadn't attempted murder on him since their return from the Dark Lord's Manor that night. Of course, he also owed the same grace to his explanations to Hermione, who was still confused on the scenario.

After Draco had related the story back to Hermione, and she had a few days to sit on it, she had begun to become moody around him. Every day she forced him to state his reasons for putting her in danger, for not asking for help, and for turning traitor on them. Draco tirelessly explained truthfully that he had done what he thought was best. Hermione knew that Draco wasn't a stupid person, but she blamed him nonetheless.

However, with Harry's persuasion, Hermione accepted his reasoning and apologies and stopped bringing it up. Draco knew, however, that he would have to make it up to her, big time. And he had a dreading feeling that Ron Weasley would never stop hating his guts, especially after what he had done. Even though he had indeed saved Hermione, he had also put her in harm's way. He would never forgive himself either.

"Draco?" Hermione asked faintly, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

"Mhm?"

"Was it hard to lie to me?"

"Hermione…"

"I really want to know."

"Of course it was. How could it not be hard to lie to someone you love? It was the worst feeling I've ever experienced. Every second I knew you looked at me and trusted me, and I would lie right through my teeth to you… I was surprised you fell for it. Half of me was hoping you would discover that I was lying to you. The other half wanted to blurt it out. But… my resolve never cracked, Hermione."

"You're a man of your word, Draco Malfoy. But you won't ever lie to me again. It's a deal breaker from here on out."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll tell you that every day until I feel like you truly believe me."

She smiled wistfully. "Your self-pity isn't helping."

"I realize that." He chuckled. "I really am sorry."

"I forgive you, Draco. I'm very shaken up. And you'll need to gain my trust again. But everyone makes mistakes. You've made a lot. And it's time to change."

"I have been changing," he said, trying to be patient. His fists were shaking. The warmth of her hand fell on top of his, soothingly. He looked down as she stroked his fingers, calming him.

"I know. I love you for it. We make a good Shakespeare play, Draco." She laughed at her joke.

"Shakespeare?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. He'd never heard of Shakespeare.

"He was a playwright in England. He wrote plays, in poetry form. Tragedies, normally."

"Ahhh, I see. And what play are we?"

"I'd say, _Romeo and Juliet_, with a little _Othello_."

"Interesting." Those words meant nothing to him.

"You ought to read more."

"Should I? Well, with you around from now on, I'm sure it'll rub off."

"Very funny. You really are going to be around me for awhile, aren't you?"

"I will be. Aw, come on. No." Ron was walking over to the couple. Hermione saw his expression and whirled around to see what he was staring at. She laughed and sat up straight. Draco protectively put his arm around Hermione's waist, and she tsk-ed.

"Hi Ron," she greeted, and he smiled and gave her a one armed hug, ignoring Draco completely. He sat on the soft gross beside Hermione.

"What are you guys up to?" he asked, trying to remain casual. Draco snorted but Ron acted as if he hadn't heard.

"We were just talking. Where did Ginny go?"

"Back to see Harry. I swear that you can't keep those two away from each other."

Hermione laughed. "Well, they've been apart for so long, and then he almost… Well, you know. She's just happy that he's coming back for good."

"Yeah. And they never get a moment of peace, either. Not that I'd want them to be alone, mind you. They'd probably shag right there in the hospital bed."

Hermione seemed horrified but Draco chuckled. He could imagine that. He knew that after Hermione had awoken well… he surely would have done the same, if it had been allowed.

"Ronald, they do not do that!"

He looked uncomfortable. "Hopefully not," he grunted. "God, my mate and my sister, my best friend and my worst enemy… Could this year have gotten any worse?"

"Yes," Draco and Hermione said at the same time, and then looked at each other and laughed. Ron didn't find this funny at all, however.

"I suppose I should be getting inside. I still have that Potions essay to get done. I can't believe they've already made us go back to school."

"Ron, we have to continue our education! The world goes on, you know."

"Only you would say that, Hermione. I'll see you at dinner," he said, waving shortly and heading back up to the castle. Draco sighed in relief.

"It's chilly," Hermione realized, "let's go inside. Cuddle by the fire?"

Draco nodded and got up, helping Hermione to her feet. They kissed under the tree as the dark began to creep upon them, and for a long while, they didn't move. Draco's hands sifted through Hermione's curls, and her arms locked around his neck, pulling his face even closer. A small growl escaped from his throat and Hermione giggled, a little smile playing onto her features.

Draco backed her into the tree trunk slowly, her hand cushioning her head from the bark. Flushed against each other, Draco's tongue traced her lips slowly before slipping inside her mouth. Hermione wobbled, her legs like jelly, as Draco's charm overpowered her. Holding Hermione steady, he deepened their kiss and felt Hermione almost collapse into his arms. Everything around the two got darker as they worked themselves into a lust-filled haze.

"Draco," Hermione gasped after awhile, "we'll be seen."

He shook his head, moving his lips from her mouth to the curve of her neck. His lips sucked on her collarbone and trailed kisses up to her ear. He nuzzled against her soft skin, smelling the scent of her shampoo and inhaling her fabulous smell.

"Please," she urged. "Upstairs."

Groaning, he finally pulled away. The two grabbed their sweaters, which were on the ground by now, and headed up to the castle quickly. The sky was now almost completely black, and Hermione tripped over loose stones a few times. Ever since the final battle, her coordination was a bit lacking. Draco had a feeling it had to do with the Cruciatus curse, but Hermione insisted she was fine.

They made it to the common room after what seemed like a tremendously longer walk than usual. Hermione was content to lay on the couch and snog, but Draco led her upstairs into his bed, which was considerably bigger and more comfortable. The two lay down and began to snog once again. Draco felt as though this was where he belonged; lying next to Hermione, arms wrapped around her, completely at ease.

The couple hadn't been together sexually in such a long time, and Draco could feel the lust rising in his body. Heat radiated off the two and soon, Hermione's shirt and pants were lying on the floor beside Draco's sweater and button up shirt. Her hands traveled all over his body, and his followed the same pattern. Draco had a really good feeling about tonight, even without him being overly romantic.

His hands unclasped her bra, and she threw it off herself. Draco smirked, staring at her chest. Her cheeks went pink but she didn't complain, allowing his eyes to gaze all over her body. She bit her lip for a moment, thinking, and her hands trailed down to his pants line. For a minute, she played with the button on his jeans, and then she undid it and pulled down his zipper. Draco smirked at her and pulled them off.

Here, it was possible that she could have stopped him. There was still time. Had she said no right now, Draco could have backed off and cleared his head. For her, he had the patience. But she didn't say no. She never stopped him, and in fact, she even urged him to continue.

Her hands slowly and cautiously slid off her underwear, and Draco took the initiative to take off his boxers. He stared all down her body, knowing that it would be his from now on. It was hard to imagine that he was about to shag the one girl he would shag for the rest of his life. His eyes soaked in every curve and every inch of her body. Her skin was calling to him. His fingers craved to touch her and his body wanted to take her to places she had never been.

He rolled on top of her when she coughed and stared at him pointedly.

"Yes?" he asked, exasperated.

She gave him an expression that said 'duh', and said, "Protection, Draco."

"Shit, sorry." He leaned over to his bedside table and situated himself before getting ready once again.

"Better," she replied. Draco smiled, and entered her slowly.

--

Draco stirred in the morning slowly, his arm resting over Hermione's body beside him. He opened his eyes wearily, looking down at the sleeping girl in his arms and smiling gently. Her face was emotionless and serene; the rest of her body was pale and naked, and Draco's eyes trailed over her form as he had the previous night. Yawning, he shifted her weight and leaned away from Hermione, hoping he could escape for a shower without waking her.

He made his way to the bathroom, closing the door softly so Hermione could rest awhile longer. His watch told him that it was still early, only eight, so Hermione may not be waking for another hour or so. Considering how late the two had gone to sleep last night, Draco figured she may even take the liberty to sleep even later than normal. He smirked faintly as he waited for the water to warm up, and then stepped into the shower.

After his quick shower, Draco got out and wrapped himself in a towel. Opening the door slowly, he stepped into his bedroom, clad in only his fluffy white towel. When he looked up, he was surprised to see that Hermione was sitting upright in bed, the sheet wrapped around her upper body. She had a smile playing on her face that made Draco smile. He crossed the room, dropped his towel, and changed into a pair of boxers before going to lie next to Hermione.

"Good morning sunshine," he greeted, kissing her warmly. She giggled and motioned for him to join her under the covers, which he did.

"Morning," she managed to say before yawning widely. Draco brushed a strand of hair away from her face, admiring the way her curls often fell into her eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" he queried.

"That was the best sleep I've had in a long time, Draco."

Draco smirked, drawing Hermione closer to his body. She obliged willingly, cuddling up against Draco's half naked body. She was warm, which Draco was thankful for, and looked nice against his skin. He contemplated this for a minute as Hermione simply curled up against him, breathing deeply in and out with her eyes closed.

"So, you're okay then," he stated, awkwardly. He wasn't accustomed to asking girls if they were comfortable after a night of shagging; normally, he wasn't around much longer than needed.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"I didn't… hurt you?"

She made a face but shrugged. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Hm. I thought you said you'd…"

She interjected. "Yes, but you're quite… larger than what I've been introduced to."

Draco snorted, and then cracked up. Well, at least he felt better. Hermione smacked him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Be nice!"

Draco continued to laugh and then straightened up, being serious again. "But you're still okay?"

She looked exasperated. "Stop pretending like you care, Draco. You got what you wanted, didn't you?"

She was taken aback. "Of course I care. You're my girlfri- fiancé, I suppose. Yes, I did get what I wanted, but I was under the impression it was what you wanted as well."

"It was," she muttered.

"Then stop it, please," he urged, kissing her again. She nodded and allowed him to quiet her with his lips once again.

"Let's get up. We missed classes this morning, didn't we?"

Draco chuckled. "Yes, but you have an excuse. Madam Pomfrey didn't want you to go back to school for another week, and you started two days ago."

"As I said," she said, while putting her clothes back on, "the world does move on. Besides, she is overly worried, that woman."

"She's the nurse," he reminded her, looking away so she could change in privacy. "She knows more about the sub-" THUMP.

"Hermione, what was th-" He cut short. Hermione was on the ground.

"God damn it," he muttered, running over to pick her up. She was definitely knocked out, that was for sure. She fit easily and lightly into his arms, so he figured he would just carry her into the infirmary.

Luckily, everyone was in classes right now, so it was an easy task to bring Hermione to the infirmary without interruptions or stupid questions. When he walked in through the doors, Madam Pomfrey stood in front of Draco with a condescending 'I told you so' look, and took her to the nearest bed.

"Mr. Malfoy, I've told you a thousand times, I swear it, that this girl has got to take it easy."

"She insisted on going to classes Madam. There wasn't anything I could do!"

She glared at him and opened Hermione's mouth, letting a potion trickle down her throat. A moment later, Hermione was sputtering and sitting up in her bed. Madam Pomfrey looked satisfied and walked away angry, most likely to get Hermione some more medicine. Draco wandered over and sat on the edge of the white-sheeted cot, looking disapprovingly at Hermione, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I told you that you needed to rest."

"Excuse me? I hardly think persuading me to shag you is allowing me to rest."

"Persuading you? If I remember correctly, you unzipped my pants."

"I'm foggy on the details."

"Did I shock you that much?" he asked, winking.

She threw a pillow at him and didn't respond. Madam Pomfrey returned with a large vial and watched as Hermione choked down its gross contents before handing her back the empty glass bottle.

"Now, Ms. Granger, I would like you to stay in your room for the next week. If I must lock you inside there, I will. And no physical activity. Do you understand?" She was staring right at Draco when she said this.

Hermione exchanged a look with Draco before nodding. "Fine, no more school. For one week. That's it."

"Thank you." She walked away, muttering about students never listening to her. Hermione stood up, wobbled, and sat back down. Draco sighed, moving over towards her, and put an arm around her frame.

"I don't need your help," she mumbled, embarrassed, and shooed his hands away. Draco shook his head and helped her as she began to fall over again.

"Just humor me," he replied, and helped her walk out of the infirmary. They made their way, slowly, back to the common room. Luckily, the bell didn't ring until they were seated on the couch, Hermione looking very pale.

Draco snapped his finger and a house elf appeared, looking distinctly ruffled, as if it was extremely busy.

"Yes, master Malfoy?" it asked, curtsying. Hermione gave Draco an extremely nasty look but said nothing.

"Would you bring up some pumpkin juice for Hermione. Quickly, she's terribly faint."

"Yes, sir." A crack sounded and the elf disappeared momentarily, only to reappear merely seconds later with a large glass of pumpkin juice and the remaining jug of it.

"Thank you," Hermione said, and Draco dismissed the elf immediately. Draco urged Hermione to drink the entire glass, noting that as she did, the color returned slowly to her face. He felt much better. Taking care of Hermione was a full-time job for Draco now, it seemed.

"So I wondered if we could talk about something," Hermione said casually, placing the empty goblet on the coffee table. Draco shrugged and sat beside her.

"Sure. What's on your mind."

"If you truly are serious… about getting married… then I think we need to work out the details."

"Such as…"

"How we're going to explain this to my friends, your mother, my parents… the entire student body."

"Ahh. That."

"Yes. It's important that we tell them soon. But maybe, you ought to get me a ring first. That is, if you're planning on it."

Draco looked at her oddly and started laughing. Hermione didn't understand, so he got up, skipped over to his jacket, and rummaged in it for a moment. He pulled out a small box. Yesterday, he had gone to get her ring in Hogsmeade, where he had had it delivered.

Although he wasn't good at being cute, he knew how to be a gentleman. And he had already gotten her answer, so this wasn't difficult. He got on one knee and she shook her head.

"You don't have to do this," she said, but he silenced her with his finger upon her lips.

"I'm typically more traditional than I have been lately." He opened the box, and Hermione gasped. Draco thought her eyes were going to roll into the back of her head.

"Draco…"

"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

"I already promised I would."

He smiled, and took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. She just stared it with her mom ajar, not breathing. He didn't understand why she was reacting this way. It was as though she had never expected he would spend so much money on her, but that couldn't be it. She knew how rich he was. Why would he not indulge her with a nice ring?

"Draco… this is… I can't accept this."

"Why not? Do you not like it?" His face fell. "I can get another."

"No, I love it… it's just… ostentatious. Its way too over the top. I would never ask you to spend this much money on a ring. It must have cost you a fortune. More money than I certainly have."

"You didn't ask me. I did what I wanted. And please stop worrying about the money. What is mine, is yours now. So really, I spent our money on it."

"That doesn't change the fact that its… amazingly beautiful," she commented, still staring at her finger.

"So you'll keep it?"

"You won't take it back, I know that."

"I know the maker personally, he'd take it offensively."

She giggled. "Well, no one is going to miss this rock."

"That was my intention. But my mother most likely will miss the galleons, so I intend to tell her tonight, at dinner. Which you'll be attending, of course."

Hermione's face dropped, looking confused. "Do you think now is the best time to put my life in danger?"

Draco chuckled, finding Hermione's reactions very funny. "You'll be fine. She won't harm you."

"Draco, she was a Death Eater!"

"As was I," he returned back casually, smirking at her. Her confident attitude faltered.

"But… your father…"

"Is dead, Hermione. They didn't agree on anything. My mother is very selective about the women I am with, yes. She's only interested in the best for me, though. You're bright, beautiful, are going to be extremely successful. If you don't mind me saying so… if it wasn't for your blood, you'd be a perfect candidate."

She blushed. "But because of my blood…"

"You hardly fall short anyways. I wouldn't worry. I told her you were coming and she seemed excited to meet you."

She bit her lip. "Alright."

"Er… Hermione? Dress nice."

"Nice? I do dress nice!" she protested, and Draco shook his head.

"Do you own designer clothes?"

"Uhm… no."

He swore under his breath. "We'll have to fix that, eventually. Wear whatever looks most expensive."

Hermione crossed her arms across her chest and glared at Draco. "Is your mother so shallow?"

"Yes," he answered. "She'll probably buy you an entire new wardrobe. And don't even think about getting to buy your own dress. She'll have it specially made."

She pouted. "I hate being fussed over."

"Yes, well… you're a Malfoy now."

--

**A/n- I know, it is really late… I took forever. Hopefully it is long enough to sate the hunger of all of you. P.S. Twilight was amazing :) REVIEW.**


	21. History in the Making

**A/n- I'm excited about this chapter! I'm almost done this story, so I wanted an opinion from all of you on something extremely important. **

**I have two stories in the works. I'm just wondering your opinion on which one I should post FIRST. I'll be posting them both (most likely at the same time), but I'm starting with one and getting a few chapters up before the other one. Here are the basic ideas of each, and you can "vote" on which one. Ultimately it's obviously my decision, but I like input. **

**A. "Cat and Mouse". A fic that starts out Ron/Hermione and will end Draco/Hermione, where Draco likes Hermione first, and has to "convince" her to be with him. Hoping for this one to be funnier than the second choice. First fic written in first person from Hermione's POV.**

**Or **

**B. "Imprisonment". A fic that is Draco/Hermione eventually, but starts out with Draco being in a unique punishment for being a Death Eater. Starts about three years after Hogwarts. Third person POV from Hermione.**

**So, let me know. Let's get to this chapter!**

--

_I miss the sound of your voice  
And I miss the rush of your skin  
And I miss the still of the silence  
As you breathe out and I breathe in  
If I could walk on water  
If I could tell you what's next  
Make you believe, make you forget_

(Come on, Get Higher, by Matt Nathanson)

Chapter 21: History in the Making

Draco and Hermione walked through the streets of Hogsmeade slowly, Hermione leaning a bit on Draco for support, although she certainly didn't want to. It was warm out, finally; the snow had melted away from the grounds, although the white could still be seen in the faraway mountains. Spring was already upon them. Soon enough, Draco realized, they would be graduating. It was already April.

April meant a lot of different things for Draco; the start of spring, new beginnings, and the last quidditch game of the season (for the cup) against Gryffindor. And it would also signify the month where Hermione and Draco would announce their engagement. He had an awful feeling that it wasn't going to be very pleasant to hear all the remarks. However, he would hold his head high nonetheless.

Hermione wasn't so sure it would be too horrible. According to her, everyone had already grown used to the couple by now anyways. The story of the final battle had reached the ears of most students, so the couple wasn't exactly hidden from the public eye. In fact, an article about it had appeared in the Daily Prophet a day after the battle, as though there was nothing else to report. It made Draco sick.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked him. "You look paler than usual."

"I'm perfectly fine," he replied, smiling at her. Truth be told, he was nervous at his mother's reaction. It could make or break this engagement. He would never tell Hermione that, but his mother's opinion was very important.

"You're worried she won't like me," she commented simply, not meeting his eyes.

"Yes."

She gripped his hand tighter as they neared the door to the restaurant. Draco took a deep breath and pushed open the door, pushing Hermione through it gently before him. They took off their jackets and hung them on the complimentary hooks by the door, and stepped inside. It was toastier than Draco expected; a fire roared in the great off to the side. It was simply, small, and elegant. Draco hadn't expected any less from his mother.

"Malfoy, table for three," he said to the hostess, who nodded and lead them off to the back of the restaurant. Draco noticed the area where was taking them wasn't filled at all; trust his mother to request a private table.

"Thank you," he said, handing the hostess a galleon for a tip. She smiled gratefully and blushed crimson. Narcissa was already seated at the table.

Hermione took a seat quickly, almost tripping over the chair leg. Draco shook his head and laughed under his breath, earning him a glare from Hermione in return. He sat opposite his mother, Hermione sitting on the end of the small table between the two.

"Hello mother, it's nice to see you."

"Draco," she squealed, getting up and hugging him and kissing his cheeks. Draco shooed her away, and she sat down quickly in her seat. The waitress who had been heading towards them faltered for a moment, hesitating, and then sprung forward to get their drink orders.

"Good afternoon," she said, staring at Draco. "Drinks for anyone?"

Draco cleared his throat. "I'll have a Firewhiskey," he said. The woman nodded and jotted it down.

"Same for me," Narcissa replied.

"I'll have water, please," Hermione mumbled, not looking at anything or anybody. Her cheeks were bright red.

"Very well. I'll be back shortly with your drinks." She curtsied a bit and bounced away to get their orders.

"So," Mrs. Malfoy began, looking edgily between her son and his fiancé, "this is Hermione, I take it?"

"Yes it is," Malfoy answered. Hermione nodded, wringing her hands under the table.

"Does she speak?"

"Oh," Hermione said suddenly, smiling, "yes, I do. How rude of me." She seemed to have finally found her voice. "I'm Hermione Granger, Mrs. Malfoy. It's really nice to finally meet you. Draco speaks of you so often."

The two shook hands, Narcissa smiley slightly. "Does he? Good things, I'd hope."

"I wouldn't have looked forward to our meeting if he didn't," she assured. Mrs. Malfoy seemed to like her answer and smiled brightly, showing a set of pearly white teeth.

"So, Hermione, you are… with my son now."

"Actually mother, that is what we came here to discuss," Malfoy interjected, but Narcissa shushed him.

"She can speak for herself, Draco. What is it Hermione?"

Hermione gulped, wishing she had a glass of water or something to do with her hands. After a long moment, she finally looked back in the grey eyes of Narcissa and smiled.

"Your son and I, by your blessing of course, are engaged." She held up the ring to prove it, and Narcissa's mouth fell open in shock.

She grabbed Hermione's hand rather roughly, staring and admiring the ring upon Hermione's finger. It was so expensive; it looked as though it didn't belong anywhere near the girl. Hermione had never worn anything that was worth anything as close to this value; she shuddered to think what his mother must think of him spending so much money on her. It was a tense moment as Narcissa's eyes probed over the ring and then stared at Hermione for a long time. Finally, she looked up.

"Interesting. Draco, you picked this out?"

"I had it specially made," he replied slowly, judging her facial expressions carefully.

"It's beautiful," she said, sitting back in her chair. Hermione released a sigh, but Draco didn't relax his grip on the table yet.

"And about the engagement…" he trailed off.

"What, I have a say in this? She's better than that horrible Parkinson girl, that's all I know. You're top in your year, aren't you?" she asked Hermione.

"I think so," she answered, her chin held up high.

"Don't listen to her, mother. She's top by a long shot." Hermione was shaking her head, trying to deny it.

"Well, that's fine then. I won't have you having an idiot for a wife, Draco. Other than that, I have no major issues. She's a pretty girl, smart, seems to care for you."

"You're aware she isn't a pureblood, though."

"Yes, well… you can't have everything in life."

Hermione bit her lip, and Narcissa looked towards her. "Don't be upset, dear. I don't hate you because of your blood. I want the best for Draco, and I know he is old enough to choose the best for himself. If he is sure that's you, then I'm sure."

Hermione's smile was radiant.

--

"That went surprisingly well," Hermione commented when they finally re-entered the common room after dinner. Draco hung up both of their coats on their coat rack.

"I was surprised. She didn't have anything bad to say while you were in the bathroom, either. Well, she thinks you lack fashion sense, but that's true."

"Shut up," she snapped angrily. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"They aren't designer brand, that's what. Don't worry baby, we'll buy you some nice clothes."

Hermione grumbled a little but didn't respond to that, knowing she wasn't going to win this argument. She was a Malfoy now; there would be some changes in her lifestyle. Draco knew that Hermione was aware of the lavish way of living he was accustomed to, and soon, she would be joining him.

"So, that was a bullet dodged. Still, we have to tell Harry, Ron, Ginny… my parents."

"You seem simply thrilled."

"I just know they're going to react, and it's not going to be pretty."

"Do you want to tell them now?"

"Harry isn't even out of the hospital! The last thing he needs is to have a heart attack."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Then when?"

"He's supposed to come home tomorrow. So maybe this weekend, or something. I'd appreciate, also, you putting in the extra effort to be nice to him. He's been severely injured after all, and he saved your ass."

"I'm aware, thank you," Draco said dully. He didn't want to have this conversation again with her. They constantly fought over Hermione's desire for Draco to get along with her friends.

"Why can't we all be friends?" she muttered.

"Because one of your friends wants to be with you, and the other is on his side."

"And your problem with Ginny?"

Draco paused. "She doesn't like me."

"She likes you more than the rest of them do. I think it'll be a good idea to start with Ginny, anyways. Why don't I go see if she wants to hang out here for the night? It's still pretty early. Ron went back to the hospital, so he won't be alone or anything."

He slouched on the couch, lighting a fire in the grate. "Sure, why not find more ways to torture me."

She came over and sat next to him, running her hand through his blonde locks of hair. He sighed contentedly as Hermione lips kissed his neck gently, up to earlobe. She pulled at it, ever so softly, and then released it. Her lips, however, didn't move away, and he could hear her ragged breathing in his ear. It gave him shivers down his spine.

"Do this for me and I'll do something for you?" she suggested. He felt himself go up and she giggled, her hand already on his leg.

"Okay," he quickly agreed, and she had her turn to smirk triumphantly. Skipping to the doorway, she winked at him and made her way out to find Ginny.

The two came back pretty quickly. Ginny didn't look very excited, but Hermione urged her inside and through the door, leading her over to the chair. She sat down, staring at Draco.

"Nice rock," she commented, looking at Hermione's finger. Hermione cursed, giving Draco a piercing look. "Were you trying to hide that from me?"

"You weren't supposed to know yet."

"The whole school knows. I heard a bunch of Slytherins telling everybody at lunch today."

"Draco, who did you tell?" Hermione asked roughly.

"… Oops."

"You told Blaise, didn't you?"

"Guilty," he said, shrugging. Hermione fumed.

"Does Ron know?"

"He has ears, too, Hermione." She sat down on the couch in a rage, crossing her arms. Draco rolled his eyes and Ginny glared at him but said nothing. She seemed slightly amused.

"Does Potter know yet?"

"I told him this afternoon. He really didn't care, but that might be the medicine. It has this weird effect on him."

"Great," Hermione said sarcastically.

"Well at least one of them doesn't mind, even if he is doped up…" Draco said thoughtfully.

"I don't mind," Ginny added. "As long as his company isn't forced upon me on a regular basis."

Hermione laughed weakly, but Draco took this offensively. Overall, he didn't think that he was that bad of company. Shrugging his shoulders, he crossed the room to his desk and grabbed some parchment, a quill, and a vial of ink. Hermione watched his movements carefully, but seemed satisfied that he at least stayed downstairs with the two girls.

"So when did this happen?" Ginny asked casually, more to Hermione than Draco. He began to block them out. Their girl chatter stayed as background noise as he sketched mindlessly, not particularly paying attention to what it was. This is normally how his best work happened.

When he focused on his drawing, it was the two girls on the couch. Draco chuckled quietly to himself; he had been staring at them as they conversed whilst he drew. Hermione's body and face were already complete, as he was used to drawing her. He did it so often. Ginny, on the other hand, was still missing some features. Her hair, carefully placed in a ponytail today, was hard to draw at this angle. He was careful not to blot or make mistakes.

The fireplace in the background of the sketch made a really good landscape for the picture. Hermione was sure to enjoy this one. He thought seriously about adding speech bubbles but went against it; he didn't like when things look cartoon-ish. He also didn't know what the two were truly speaking about; his listening had ended long ago.

"Damn," Ginny said, suddenly over his shoulders. "Does my hair really look like that?"

Hermione sniggered. "Yes."

"You can draw a fucking picture, can't you?" Ginny asked, looking at the drawing skeptically.

Draco folded the cover to the sketch bad over the drawing, not letting anyone look at it anymore. He placed it on the table, and Hermione shook her head at him. He never liked it when people fawned over his work, and Hermione knew that by now. She was always encouraging him to do more of it; she insisted people would pay money for it. But he really didn't think he was good enough.

"Thanks," he said quietly. Hermione beamed.

"So, quidditch this weekend," Ginny said. Finally, a topic he could actually talk about.

"Is Potter playing?"

"Are you mad? Of course not. I'll be playing Seeker. We found some chump third year to cover for me as Chaser. Ron's been acting as captain, but I think you knew that."

"Yeah, I did. So, basically, it'll be an easy win?"

"Very funny, _Draco_," she stressed, chuckling. "You'll be eating your words Saturday."

"I'm sure." He smirked.

"Considering half your crowd was captured… tsk tsk, no support."

"Because I've had so much support over these last six years. I'll be fine Ginger."

"Well, bring it Blondey."

The two shook hands.

--

The morning of Quidditch dawned a beautiful day. Draco went over all of the positive points as he led his team (with a few new members) down to the field. He pointed out the blue skies, the lack of wind, and the few clouds to block out the sun effectively. The ground was hard; a good kick-off, and not muddy. He told his new beaters (Crabbe and Goyle were in prison) about all these excitedly. They looked extremely nervous, but Draco was confident they would be alright. They had practiced throughout the year; he had been smart to keep reserves.

The Gryffindors looked in prime form; they were only missing Harry, who was sitting in the first row of stands, his cane next to him. He was having trouble walking, but he had urged the nurses to let him leave the hospital on schedule. Everybody spent all their time fussing over him, even Hermione. It annoyed Draco to no extent but he humored them, even spending some time with the Gryffindors in their common room. It kept Hermione peaceful at least.

Looking up, he could see Hermione in the Gryffindor stands, waving a red and gold flag. Draco scowled but didn't allow it to get to him; she was wearing his Slytherin gloves and scarf, so at least she was halfway supporting him. His eyes trailed over to the Slytherin stands, which were half bare. He shook his head, knowing this would be a tough game.

"Alright team," he said, turning back towards them, "we may be a little shaken up, but this is still our year. It's my final at Hogwarts, and I'd love to finish it on a good note. Let's go."

They marched to the center of the field to cheers. He could see Hermione faintly smiling at him and getting glared at by half the stands. His mother was in the teacher's stand, in deep conversation with Professor McGonagall about something. She didn't notice him, so he didn't wave. They met the Gryffindors in the center circle.

"Captains, shake hands." Draco shook Ginny's hand gently and stepped back.

"Mount your brooms," came the command. "I want a clean game. No more injuries please, we've had enough to go around for years. On my whistle then."

The whistle blew and the balls flew into the air. Draco watched long enough to see that it was in Slytherin possession before he took off. He spent his time circling above the field, not really paying any attention to the score. He knew Gryffindor was leading, but scores mattered little when the game was so close. It would come down to his skill versus Ginny's.

He kept one eye on Ginny the entire game, and the one scouring the field. He was much more practiced than Ginny at this; she seemed to struggle with which thing to ay more attention too. Harry cheered her on and shouted advice from the stands loudly, getting booed in return by the Slytherins. A few times, Draco thought he saw the gold glint, but it was just the sun peeking out from the clouds. He shielded his eyes and continued his search.

And then, he saw it. And it was going to be too late; Ginny was already after it. But Draco's broom had the upper hand. He twisted violently in midair, almost throwing himself off, and zoomed off after Ginny. And then luck came his way. The snitch had changed course, flying further away from Ginny and back towards him. He slowed just barely and came at it from an angle. His timing would have to be perfect.

Ginny was right on its tail somehow, a few feet behind it, just out of her reach. Draco came at from the left, swerving in front of Ginny and barely managing not to crash into her and stretched out his hand. His timing was impeccable; the snitch had no where to go except right into Draco's pale fingers. He shouted in triumph and raised his hand high in the air. Ginny was swearing loudly.

A pile of green-clad players swamped him just then; pounding his back, swearing and cheering and shouting in his ears, sweat all over their faces and hands. But none of it mattered; Slytherin had beaten Gryffindor. Draco knew, had that been Potter, he would have been done. But either way, he had defeated the Gryffindor team and gotten Slytherin their first Quidditch Cup in seven years.

"And Slytherin wins the Quidditch cup!" Draco heard it reverberate around the stadium, and the sound of cheers filled his ears until it was all he could hear save the ringing. He smiled, ear to ear, and sough out Hermione's eyes in the crowd. And there she was, the only one with a smile plastered on her features.

--

After Draco had managed to shoo away his slew of admirers (many girls included), he made his way up to the common room. He had changed back into normal robes, and was feeling very happy. The Quidditch Cup was in his hand; Snape had allowed him to keep it for the night before it went in his office for the year.

He stepped into the common room. I was dark; Draco assumed Hermione was still pouting with her friends in the Gryffindor common room. Although he wanted to see her immediately, he wasn't going to risk going into enemy territory just yet. They would most likely believe he was there to rub salt in the wound, and he definitely wouldn't be able to resist.

He heard the door open and looked towards Hermione's staircase. She had clearly just taken a shower; her hair was scraggly and wet. He looked at her awkwardly; she was wearing something odd. She lit the candles with a flick of her wand, and Draco smirked. Hermione was wearing his boxers and his wife beater that had the Slytherin crest on it. She smirked and Draco couldn't help but be turned on.

Putting down the Cup, he brought her into his arms tightly. They kissed, passionately. She bit her lip and Draco led her back to the couch. It was clear what was on both of their minds, and Draco was in such a good mood, he couldn't even blame this on luck. It was simply perfection.

They made love.

After they had exhausted themselves, Draco stirred slowly next to Hermione's naked form. She mumbled something and turned to him. His lips nuzzled at her neck before trailing up to her ears slowly. She shivered at his touch, like always.

"I missed you," Draco whispered.

"I never went anywhere," she contradicted.

"No, I mean, I was missing you my entire life. Until now." And he kissed her.

--

**A/n- That was a decently long chapter. I hope you are satisfied. Reviews! **


	22. Gripping

**A/n- :) Hello. Welcome back. While writing this chapter, I decided that the ending I previously had planned out was not how I wanted the story to end. You see, the last time I wrote a fanfic, it all came out happy and amazing at the end. All the ends weren't tied up (I had planned on writing a sequel), but even so, the story didn't lack any happy elements really. **

**Well, I planned this story to end the same basic way. I like fairy tale endings. I'm a romantic idealist. But I changed my mind. I decided that Draco wasn't really the type of boy who can completely change so quickly. He changed too much, too fast. Part of being an impatient writer.**

**So the ending is significantly different than what I planned. Some of you may hate it. Don't read it then. This chapter ending makes the difference. The new chapters will be the same as I planned to write them. The only difference? There will be a sequel, probably much shorter than this fic. And it will be posted before any of my other fics.**

**If you don't like the ending, then wait around for my other fics to be published. It won't be long. To my loyal readers who stick with me, thank you. Reviews are welcomed. **

**Lemon at the end :). **

--

_I like girls, they like me  
They look so good in they seven jeans  
Told you to be the one and my only  
I wanna be faithful  
But I can't keep my hands out the cookie jar._

(Cookie Jar, Gym Class Heroes feat. The Dream)

Chapter 22: Gripping

Things passed by remarkably quickly in Draco's life; there were suddenly hundreds of things to do. As they entered May, the weather became beautiful and warm. Most of his free time was spent reading, studying, or with Hermione on the ground under the trees. On a personal level, Draco felt he knew Hermione better than he had known anybody else. The time they spent alone blended together until Draco was unable to decipher when certain events happened.

Once Harry had officially gone back to school, a sense of normality crept upon the entire school. Teachers were strict once again, homework was constant, and the chatter and smiles returned to those who had lost close friends or family. With it came Hermione's steady berating about N.E.W.T.s. Draco had completely forgotten about them until Hermione reminded him one afternoon. She was setting up study schedules, complaining that she was beginning much too late in the year. She blamed the war for putting her grades in danger. Draco rolled his eyes.

All of the fifth and seventh years had realized that exams were not canceled, though. According to Hermione, education was of utmost importance now. They needed smart students to join the Ministry and rebuild what had been destroyed. She took it upon herself as a personal task to make sure Draco was studying just as much as she was, if not more. Draco thought she ought to worry more about herself, but she never listened to him.

May passed in a slew of homework assignments, reviews, and studying thick textbooks. Hermione's schedule turned out to be effect, though; Draco got more studying done than he had thought possible. Normally, they studied together quietly, only asking one another a question once and awhile. Every third day of studying, they would quiz each other on what they had learned. To Draco's surprise, Harry and Ron were following Hermione's lead, and they often joined the couple on quiz days.

While Draco didn't like Harry or Ron, he preferred Harry over the latter. Potter at least was much more down to earth; Ron's jokes were lame and he was always staring at Hermione. Hermione insisted that he was over his little crush, but Draco had a feeling she was merely telling him exactly what he wanted to hear, and not the truth. Either way, their company was often forced upon him more than once a week. It was as much as Draco could bear. Hermione was lucky that he had respect for her wishes, or else he wouldn't put up with it.

Before everyone knew it, the week leading up to exams was upon then. Hermione was in full out panic mode. She barely spoke to anyone, or slept either. The seventh and fifth years had the week off classes just to study. Draco did indeed work very hard, and stayed up late, but Hermione started skipping meals. Draco had to remind her that eating would keep her more focused and energized.

Although he was nervous about his exams, the two had more than that on their minds. On top of N.E.W.T.s, which could determine their future, they also needed to plan the dance at the end of the year for the seventh years. Hermione was intent on doing both, but she couldn't handle it. She was very strained, and had already cried. Draco laughed at her and volunteered to do all the planning along with the sixth year prefects, who only had normal exams to study for. Although she had desperately wanted to make the arrangements, Draco assured her that he would run everything by her before giving it to McGonagall for approval. There was still two weeks until the dance.

Sometimes, there was no ending dance. Draco knew that the seventh years had so much pressure on them, they normally just skipped the dance altogether. It took place the last night before the term ended, after the Leaving Feast. Draco hoped in the down week with no classes next week, they'd be able to finalize plans while the rest of the school waited for results. Their results would be mailed to them in July.

The night before exams was nail-biting. Draco refused to study, because he knew it would overwhelm him. After eating a good dinner, he took a long, hot shower and sat in his favorite chair. Hermione's cat sat on his lap as he read Shakespeare (upon Hermione's insistent requests, he had begun to read Muggle novels) and drank some hot cocoa. Hermione was lying on her stomach on the couch, furiously reading Transfiguration notes. Draco didn't see the point; she'd probably get an O on everything.

Draco was confident that he'd do well. Perhaps not as good as Hermione, who was sure to graduate top in the class. But either way, his grades had been consist and steady during the entire school year, and he was more than prepared. In fact, Draco had never studied as hard for any exams as he had for N.E.W.T.s. His grades would certainly live up to his mother's expectations, so he wasn't too worried. But yet, it was still weird to be taking his last exams at Hogwarts ever.

At ten, the couple descended the stairs into Draco's room. They often slept together now, more out of convenience than anything. Shagging had become a more common occurrence, and Hermione was too lazy to drag herself out of bed and into her room. Draco didn't mind at all, so she continued to sleep there even when they simply slept.

They kissed briefly once in bed, but Hermione was too wired and nervous to keep that up for too long. The sleep deprivation was starting to get to her, Draco could see, but she didn't complain. She turned over and closed her eyes, and Draco did the same, draping his arm around her. She sighed and snuggled closer, and the two wistfully fell asleep.

In the morning, Hermione was in a near state of panic. Draco had to take away her notes because it wasn't a good study habit to overload yourself right before the exam. Draco calmly explained, over a bowl of oatmeal delivered to their room, that cramming wasn't helpful, and often hurt your grade. She downed pumpkin juice as she half listened to him. Draco had a feeling she was going over the information in her head.

After breakfast and a short briefing session, where Draco made Hermione take deep breaths, the two walked downstairs. A group of students were milling about the hall. Hermione found Ron and Harry and immediately started asking them about study habits. Ron rolled his eyes and edged away, choosing to take to Lavender and Parvati. Draco didn't blame him; he never got a break either.

Soon enough, the group of fifth and seventh years were ushered into the hall for the written portion of the Transfiguration exam. It was only two hours long, so Draco concentrated on keeping his attention span that long. The officials passed out the test materials and signaled for the good. Hermione was already midway into a sentence next to Draco before he had read the question. Shaking his head, he laughed and began to write.

The exams, altogether, were not as bad as Draco had imagined. He felt as though Hermione had over prepared him, because often times he found that he was writing more than what the question asked. He never scratched out his work though; anything would be helpful he felt. Never did he go over the time limit, so he was sure this method worked fine.

Each night, Hermione forced him to go over the questions he didn't know and they discussed, in depth, the answers. Draco rolled his eyes a lot and laughed at Hermione's questions. She often got upset and refused to speak to him, but assured him later than she was just worried about the next exam. The couple stayed up until 11 each night going over material for the next day's exams.

The written portions were always tougher for Draco, overall. The questions were long and specific, and the answers made his hand cramped after only a few minutes. By the end of the two hours, his entire right hand would be covered in black ink and smudged everywhere. However, the practical exam was much easier. Draco found it was simple to do everything that the instructor asked.

It was amusing, of course, to watch other people fail horrendously. Draco was in the testing room while Neville Longbottom was during Potions. To Draco, the potion wasn't particularly difficult; in fact, they had brewed it in class sixth year. Draco completed it with ease, but Longbottom's was spitting red sparks and emitting purple, gross fumes. Draco chuckled before handing in his sample, while getting furious and curious looks from Neville.

The only exam that he faltered a bit in was Herbology, but there was no way he was going to do well in that class. The written exam was decently easy, but only because it was all memorizing strange plants, which was essential to potion making anyways. But the practical was harder than he imagined, and a rambunctious plant bit him while he tried to plant it. He was sure the official had taken off points for that, although Draco tried to hide the profusely bleeding finger.

At the end of the last day, History of Magic, Draco's brain was fried. He was overjoyed that there was no practical part to History of Magic (how could there be?), and the afternoon was his to relax. When he got out, Hermione ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He chuckled and led the way outside, simply because the trees were so relaxing.

The couple dipped their feet in the Lake, watching as the younger children flew on their broomsticks or jumped and splashed in the water. Harry, Ron, and Ginny had gone to visit Hagrid, so they wouldn't have any interruptions. They held hands at the water's edge, talking about the exams quietly to themselves. No one bothered them.

When the sun started to set and it got chilly, they both headed up to their common room. Dinner was already in progress, so they just grabbed a little food and took it with them, not really in the mood for company. After dinner, they talked and read a bit. Draco beat Hermione in chess, and then they went to bed. The two were much too tired for much of anything else.

The weekend following exams was spent basically relaxing and doing nothing else. It felt like a weight off everyone's shoulders, especially the seventh years, to be done with exams. Meal times were filled with end of the year chatter, rumors, and exchanges of addresses and (if Muggleborn) numbers. Draco was forced to put up with the new trio (Ron, Harry, and Ginny) all weekend, and by the end, was thoroughly annoyed.

Hermione constantly reminded him that they would be around a lot, even after they left Hogwarts. The Monday after exams, Hermione and Draco were finally alone in the common room when Draco breached a serious topic. He wasn't sure the way Hermione would react, or what her plans would be, so he wanted to prepare himself for after graduation.

"Hermione," he said, looking up from his book. She did the same and placed it on the table, marking her place carefully.

"Yes?"

"After graduation, are you… moving in with me?"

Hermione looked at him oddly. "At the Manor?"

"Well… yes. It's big enough for you, of course. We'd never even see my mother, really."

"Oh, well… I mean, if you'd like." She seemed indifferent.

"Did you have other plans?" he asked, confused.

"I sort of… imagined getting my own place, I guess. But if you want to live with me then I suppose we could do that."

"Well if we're getting married I figured we'd be living together, right?"

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. Should we really mooch off your mother though? Wouldn't it be better to live alone?"

"Hermione, you aren't mooching. It's my money too, and I'm not allowing you to pay for a flat when I have much more money than you. Can you please let me provide for you?"

This infuriated her. "Look, Draco, I can fully take care of myself."

He calmed her with a stroke of his hand. "I'm aware, love, but my belongings are yours now. My money, yours. And my house will belong to me eventually, so, we might as well be comfortable. I always imagined living there. If you don't want to live there, we have another cottage in London."

"How many bloody houses does one family need?"

"Let's not begin on the vacation homes. How do you feel about Paris?"

"Paris?"

"We have a townhouse there. We could go there, for our honeymoon, maybe. We could even stay there if you'd like."

She gasped. "Paris? I've always wanted to go!"

"Well, you can. We can, together."

"I'm not used to being spoiled," she warned. Draco laughed and kissed her forehead.

"I'm not spoiling you; I'm treating you as I would any proper woman. Now, how about we take a shower and get to bed."

"Draco Malfoy wants a shag?" she wondered aloud, and Draco smirked.

"Yes, I do. I've been deprived all week. Now, upstairs we go."

--

The planning of the dance happened flawlessly, and Draco and Hermione spent the entire day preceding the feast decorating the Great Hall and ordering around the prefects. Everyone was tired by that night, but Draco knew there was no time to waste. After the Hall was finished, the food ready, and everything set up, he headed back upstairs with Hermione to shower and change.

He couldn't even enjoy his shower at all, since he was short for time. Hermione had jumped in the shower before him, since she required more time to get ready than him. When he got out, she was standing open mouthed in front of the mirror, applying mascara. She smirked in the mirror as she saw him, naked, but said nothing. By now, she was accustomed to his body. He dried off and got changed quickly.

There was no time to blow dry his hair like he normally would have for special events, so he charmed it dry, before charming his teeth clean, and then set off for the feast with Hermione. She was in a stunning, short blue party dress with silver heels and a little tiara in her curls to match. Draco was impressed. He was simply wearing the only black tuxedo he owned, feeling very Muggle today for some reason. Hermione goggled at him and then smiled, telling him how professional he looked.

Of course, the couple were the last ones in the Hall. They took their seats and McGonagall got up to speak to all the students. She droned on about how a successful and great year the year was, despite the devastating losses. Harry, at the Gryffindor table, was honored, and then the food was served. The seventh years, all dressed up, stuck out like sore thumbs. Some of the Slytherin girls were practically drooling over Draco and his attire.

After the main course, dessert was held. Many of the young students left early to go pack, and Draco was thankful that Hermione had chided him to do it earlier. There would simply be no time tonight or the following morning. By the time the two got to bed and to sleep tonight, it would be early in the morning, and they were leaving at 11 a.m tomorrow. Draco groaned internally, thinking of what was lined up for tomorrow.

Not only would he be extremely tired and depressed at leaving Hogwarts behind, but Hermione was forcing him to meet her parents tomorrow. His aversion to Muggles wasn't the only problem with meeting her parents; he was scared shitless about how they would react. As far as he knew, Hermione hadn't told her parents much about Draco at all, except that he was a git (in previous years). Hopefully, they would scream when he wasn't around or just allow him to steal their daughter without questions.

Dessert ended abruptly, with McGonagall shooing away the younger students off to bed. The fifth year prefects herded them back to their dormitories, tagged along by the sixth years. The smug expressions on the sixth years reminded him of his last year; next year was the big year, where any one of them could be Head Boy or Girl. Of course, he had never imagined that he would have been chosen last year at this time. It was a miracle, in his opinion, that he had gotten the position. However, he had at least tried to be smug about it all year.

The candles in the Hall were extinguished for the most part, and the tables were pushed off to the side. The dance floor was now clear for the seventh years to party away the end of the year. Draco knew that this dance would be the greatest of them all; everyone knew everyone, and it was simply the older kids. Of course, dates from younger grades were allowed, but for the most part, it was only seventh years. Only a few younger students, such as Ginny, remained. Ginny seemed extremely thrilled about this.

The Muggle music started almost immediately. Draco preferred Muggle music over any of the Wizard bands, really, even though it would have been simple to book a band for this event. However, short on time, they have simply bypassed this and decided on simple magic speakers with Muggles. A DJ coordinated the event, and had picked out a good selection of music that Draco had chosen from. Hermione hadn't bothered, not really into music herself.

The first few numbers were fast songs, and Draco needed a break from the hustle and bustle, so he sat with Hermione and her friends for awhile. Ginny dragged Harry off to the dance floor immediately, so it was just Ron, Hermione and Draco. This had the potential to be awkward, so Draco decided to try to be friendly for a change.

"Mate, why not ask some girl to dance. There are plenty of girls at Hogwarts who are hot."

"Well, you'd know, wouldn't you Malfoy?" It was meant to be snide, but Draco took it in stride.

"I like to think I have good taste. What about her?" He pointed to a girl with dark brown hair, very pretty. Hermione shook her head.

"She's someone's date, she isn't a seventh year."

"So what?" Draco countered, but Hermione stepped on her foot.

"I think Ron has had enough of arguing over girls for his lifetime," she murmured in his ear, and he laughed. It was definitely true, and Ron wasn't good at winning either.

"Point taken," he said louder, so Ron to hear. He searched the crowd. "There, Parvati is alone. Surprising. Ask her to dance."

"I dated her best friend," he countered.

"So what? That was last year. I think you should go for it."

"Her sister thought I was dreadfully boring, fourth year," he added.

"Her sister isn't as good looking anyways."

"Draco, they're twins," Hermione chided.

"Whatever. Will you stop being a pussy and do it?" Draco said, pushing Ron out of his chair. He twirled around, trying to play it off, but then took a deep breath and walked away.

"Nice attempt at being nice, Draco. You get an A for effort."

Draco rolled his eyes and watched at Ron started up a casual conversation with Parvati. At first she seemed uninterested, glancing sideways. Draco was thinking of going over to save her, but then she changed expressions and was entranced by whatever stupid mumblings Ron was managing. Eventually, they took off for the dance floor, Ron clumsily leading. He towered over Parvati, and she struggled to reach his neck for the slow song that was playing. Draco looked away, back at Hermione.

"Do you want to dance?"

Hermione agreed and he swept her off towards the dance floor. They swayed to the music, Draco leading magnificently, on the outskirts of the students. Hermione never liked to be the center of attention, especially because she wasn't the most fantastic dancer. Draco, on the other hand, spun them into the center of the bodies, using his skill to make Hermione look like a significantly better dancer than she truly was.

When the slow song ended and a faster song began, Draco was happy. He liked to grind with girls; it was one of his particularly favorite things to do. Hermione, however, was not really the type to get 'down and dirty', as she had once explained to him. But he pulled her hips to him and she danced on him for awhile, until she got embarrassed and told Draco, over the sound of the beats, that she was going to sit down.

Rolling his eyes once again, Draco allowed her to leave the crowd alone. There was no way he was missing out on dancing, that was for sure. He would definitely need to dance at some London clubs when he got out of Hogwarts, that was for sure. He found the prettiest girl around him and began to grind with her, hoping that Hermione wouldn't be upset. By the end of the song, he grew bored with the girl's lackluster dancing skills, and pulled another one towards him.

It was Melana. She smiled at him and they started dancing, his hands on her hips and her arms wrapping around his body a bit. Draco liked the feeling that Melana gave him, yet it was nothing to the passion that he received from Hermione. That was completely different. But either one worked, and he hoped that dancing didn't constitute as cheating.

"Aren't you like… engaged?" Melana yelled in his ear. Draco laughed.

"Does it matter to you?"

"Not really, no."

"Then shut up and dance," he commanded. She resumed the motion of her body, which was turning Draco on. He knew it was wrong. But he wasn't going to wimp out and lose face in front of an old fling.

At the end of the song, he excused himself, promising Melana that he'd be back. He wasn't coming back, but it was easier to say that than to make excuses as to why he was leaving. To make it seem convincing, he went over to the refreshment table and got some pumpkin juice. He was a little tired, although it had been worse before. After his drink, he headed back to the table where Hermione sat.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Her face was contorted with fury. She glared daggers at him, her arms crossed across her chest.

"I leave, and you dance with Melana?"

"I was just dancing!" he protested.

"Your hands were on her."

"Well, that's how I dance." His desperate attempt to defend himself was failing.

"Do you think that's appropriate? You gave me a ring and made me a promise, now keep it." She got up and stormed away, towards the bathrooms. Draco sighed and put his head in his hands.

He heard a clunking noise come up from behind him, and then it stopped. He looked over and saw Harry, resting against his cane, standing next to him. He was smiling, but you could tell his face was strained. Most likely it was his leg still bothering him; for some reason, the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. But, they were sure it would heal eventually. Harry took a step closer and sat down next to Draco, saying nothing at first.

"You, my friend, have your hands full."

"Since when did you become a wise man?"

"Since I've been friends with Hermione since first year. What did you do now?"

"Danced with another girl."

Harry chuckled. "That's something that would only bother a girl."

"You'd know so much about it. Are you so in touch with your inner female, Potter?"

"Or perhaps I just am sensitive to the feelings of others," he commented, chuckling again. Draco didn't find him humorous, but he knew he was trying to help.

"So what do I do about it?"

"You be the man she wants you to be. Isn't a relationship about compromise?"

"You really sound like a chick, and it's freaking me out."

"Just treat her nicely, Malfoy, or you'll have me to answer from, as well as Ron."

"Yes, her fan club shall send me letter bombs." This earned him a stare from Harry. "Alright, I'll bloody make it up to her."

"Well, start groveling. She's back." He got up and limped away.

Hermione sat on the chair next to Draco but said nothing to him at all. Eventually, Ron came back and the two chatted quietly beside Draco. Ron acted as if nothing was strange, even though Hermione wasn't speaking to her fiancé. Draco started to get really annoyed; she was flirting, right in front of him, with Ron Weasley, of all people. He heard her compliment him, tell him he looked nice, and tell him that she missed him.

Draco got up, knocking the chair over and stormed away. He'd kill Ron Weasley if he had to. The blood in his ears was pounding. He could barely concentrate on not going over to rip Ron limb from limb. He focused on the refreshment table, and getting there successfully without looking back at the two.

Melana was waiting for him, taking a drink from someone else's drink. She seemed hot and tired, but smiled boldly when Draco showed up, sauntering over to him. Draco realized that she was drunk. He felt like he needed to follow her lead; and took a sip of the drink. It was heavily spiked. Draco downed the rest of it and poured more, finishing another cup. He could already feel the alcohol.

"Hey, Draco. Whoops," she said, slopping drink all over her hands. Draco smiled, interestingly, and wiped her hands off with a napkin for her.

"What are you tripping over me for?" he asked, a little rudely. But Melana either didn't care or didn't register what he said, because she dropped the drink messily on the table and lead him back to the dance floor. Draco resisted, forcefully.

"Come on, Drakeyyy. A little dance never hurt anybody."

"Yes, well, my girlfriend thinks so."

"So what, she's a mudblood pig. Dance with me!" she urged, but Draco backed away.

"Don't speak about her like that." As disgusted as he was with her language though, he didn't resist this time. They headed back to the dance floor, where his hands found their way back to her body. This time, he felt no regret. He was simply getting Hermione back now. Revenge wasn't bad, was it?

He could have stopped right there. At the end of the song, he could have backed away. The anger had almost ebbed away with the beat of the music. It would have been simply to say sweet things to Melana to make her back off, while drunk, and go over and forgive Hermione. But he didn't. He told Melana he had to go to the bathroom, and like he expected, she followed him.

How simple it was, to fall back into the reins of his old life. They had barely turned the corner and they were making out. Inside of a dark, unused classroom, Draco's hands felt all over her. It felt amazing, he realized, to be with a different girl after so long. Of course, Hermione pleased him, but something about the risk made him overly excited. And the alcohol didn't tell him to say no.

Her body was pressed against the door frame, he held her up sloppily with one arm, and his other hand groped all along her body. She giggled, tipsy enough to think this was entertaining, and her wandering hands found their way into Draco's pants. Seconds blurred into minutes, and the two ended up in a heated mass on the floor.

Draco had no recollection of his pants being taken off, but somehow, he was naked on top of Melana, who was waiting for him. He smirked, seeing the lust in her eyes, and went inside of her, hard. She gasped in delight, or shock, and fell into his rhythm. Her light moans cascaded off the walls, and Draco's pants could be heard in her ears.

At the last moment, in a period of clarity, he realized how stupid this was. It crashed upon him, but there was no time. He climaxed easily inside of her, and it was over. No protection, no nothing. Just plain, pure pleasure at the heat of the moment, and then cold, dark, regret. He breathed in and out deeply, lying on top of Melana's body for a moment, and then got up.

There was a time to face what he did. But it wasn't now, and it wasn't ever.

--

**A/n- Well, let me know. **


	23. Meeting the InLaws

**A/n- Ah, as much as you all despise me right now, I'm still devoted to you all. **

**There's two chapters left of this story, and then I'll be moving on to the sequel (which is basically a continuation of this, just fast forwarding a bit.). Some of you were under the impression last chapter was the last, but you were sadly misinformed. **

**To those of you who don't like my decision to make Draco "the bad guy", I think In the end, you'll love me once again. **

--

_And I don't know how it gets better than this  
You take my hand and drag me head first  
Fearless  
And I don't know why but with you _

_I'd dance in a storm in my best dress  
Fearless_

(Fearless, Taylor Swift)

Chapter 23: Meeting the In-Laws

The next morning was hell of Earth for Draco. He woke up with the worst hangover he had ever experienced, had to pack, and felt the dread of being forced to meet Hermione's parents. And his conscience wasn't helping whatsoever. The guilt pressed upon him like a hard weight on his chest, but he had managed to keep his mouth shut last night. Rolling over on his bed, he noticed Hermione had already left. The sheets were tangled, so he knew she had stayed. That's odd: he had no recollection of her getting into bed with him.

The shower was running in the adjacent bathroom. Draco got up, glancing at the clock. Almost nine. He'd have to rush now in order to get everything done on time. While Hermione showered, he stripped off his clothes and bundled them into a ball, shoving them into his already crammed trunk. Wrapping a towel around himself, he stepped into the bathroom to wait for his turn in the shower.

"Draco?" Hermione called, her words echoing off the tiles.

"Yes, it's me." His voice sounded sharp even to him. He shook his head, knowing that he had to keep it together. This only made his head throb more painfully, however.

"I let you sleep because I know you had a little too much to drink last night," she commented. "But now you're running late. Jump in."

Draco seized the opportunity. No matter what had happened last night (or what hadn't happened, according to him), he needed to act as normal as possible. And normal for Draco Malfoy was taking any chance he could to get some, especially with a beautiful girl. Dropping the towel onto the tile, Draco stepped into the shower, feeling the steam rise into his nostrils before feeling the hot water pellets.

Hermione's arms wrapped around him, pressing her body towards his, and she sighed. He smirked, grazing his lips against her wet skin, kissing her neck and collarbone. He very much wanted a shag right now, to remind himself of what Melana had lacked, but there was simply no time. Besides, once Hermione and he were settled at the Manor, they'd have as much time as they possibly needed.

As quickly as possible, Draco washed his hair and body, using his other hand to wander the lengths of Hermione's body. She allowed him this simple pleasure, and her eyes were on him constantly, staring at every part of him. While she took all of this in, Draco thoroughly washed himself, and then turned his attention back to the pretty girl next to him.

"Done?" she said teasingly, tousling her wet hair. Draco rarely ever saw Hermione without curls, and was shocked to see that he liked her much better with her hair bouncy and full of curls.

He kissed her in response, their mouths moving perfectly in sync, with the water rolling off their cheeks and splattering onto the tiled shower floor. Their saliva got mixed with the warm water as their tongues connected briefly, before Hermione's lips strayed to Draco's neck, collarbone, chest… down, he watched her lips trail, to his hip bones and finally, to where they belonged.

Draco couldn't help his response as her lips fell onto his penis and her hand followed its lead. He tangled a handful of Hermione's hair in his fingers, trying not to be too rough. His self control, however, was slipping, and he pushed Hermione further onto him. She stalled, only momentarily, and then allowed him to continue, setting the pace for her.

Hermione had never, ever, gone down on him before, and now he wished that had been the first thing he had tried. Her mouth was magical; he would give up shagging her for a week if he could get this again. He moaned, forgetting to hold back, and forced her more eagerly now, dying to make her finish him. She didn't complain though, not even once, and she used her hand to make him climax faster.

And after it was over, Draco sank to the floor of the shower, sitting down next to Hermione on her knees. She smiled as the water still poured down her body, and kissed him on the side of the cheek. Hopping up, she exited the shower quickly. Draco swore and then got up, determined to get everything done on time still.

--

Goodbyes were not something Draco had trouble with. Apparently, he and Hermione didn't have this in common. After the two had packed, put their belongings I nthe Entrance Hall for collection, and had breakfast, the crying had begun. At first it was simply tears, but they soon escalated into sobs. She wasn't the only one. At least half of the seventh year girls were in tears, hugging each other and exchanging goodbyes.

Draco halfheartedly wished his Slytherins friends (or what was left of them) goodbyes, promising he'd write. Most likely, he would never see any of them again except for Blaise or Todd Nott. After escaping them, he re-joined Hermione, who was hugging random Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff girls he had never met. Shaking hands with boys from the other houses, Draco felt as though this process was getting old.

At quarter to eleven, the carriages took off, sending the seventh years closer to their futures and away from Hogwarts. Draco looked back sentimentally, feeling his first bout of sadness. If anything, he'd miss the castle; its mysterious staircases, the warm beds, the great food, making fun of Gryffindors and first years. He'd miss Quidditch, the grounds, the quiet library on study days, the little elves scurrying about to make him happy. Above all, he would miss everything he had learned, and everything he had grown to love and discover at Hogwarts.

But it was time for change. Last night had assured him of this, at least. There was nothing Draco wanted more than to put his past behind him and start his new life with Hermione. Eventually, his past and his secrets would come out in full, but for now, his closet was locked. Determined, Draco was ready to move on and become a man, a man worth marrying. He thought of this as he waved to the castle and stepped onto the train.

Since it was the end of the year, Draco and Hermione didn't have to sit alone in the Heads' compartment. For this, Draco was extremely grateful. The last thing he needed right now was time for Hermione to crack him. He just needed some quiet thinking time with his friends, to laugh and enjoy himself. But even that, he was deprived of; Hermione insisted they sit with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Luna.

It was the most awkward train ride Draco ever experienced. Harry and Ginny made out the entire train ride, as if they were never going to see each other again, and Ron and Luna stared at each awkwardly the entire ride. Draco thought Luna was really strange; he couldn't figure out what it was until she took out a magazine and read it upside down. This action reminded him.

As for him and Hermione, they just sat, holding hands, and stared out the window or around them. Draco went over arguments in his head with Hermione, trying to decide how he was going to tell her. In the end, he decided he would say nothing. It was easiest. There was no reason to alarm her, anyways, he would never see Melana again and he wouldn't cheat anymore. It was the last time, and he was sure of it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the train jolted to a halt and everyone got up and gathered their belongings. Draco carried his trunk and owl cage off the train, and then went back for Hermione's things. Her parents were on the platform; Draco remembered them somehow faintly from second year, seeing them in Diagon Alley. He sneered into the distance.

"Ready?" Hermione asked, squeezing his hand gently.

"One question. Do they know anything about me, at all?"

Her face was set as she stared straight ahead. "Nope."

"Great," he replied sarcastically, and they walked forward together, hand in hand.

"Hermione dear!" her mother squealed running over and enveloping her in a hug. Draco dropped Hermione's hand quickly, hoping to do this as properly as possible.

"Hi mom," she said, an amused expression on her face. Draco tried to look as small as possible. He felt queasy.

"How was term, sweetie? Did you have a go- Whose this?" she asked, finally fully seeing Draco. Hermione edged closer to him, protecting, and drew him forward.

"Mom, Dad," she said, her dad now coming forward, eyeing Draco suspiciously, "This is Draco Malfoy."

"Nice to meet you Draco, dear. Is this a friend from school?"

"Boyfriend, more like," her dad grunted, and Draco turned sharply. Of course a man would know the way Draco held Hermione, looked at her… Only a man would understand the adoration present in Draco's eyes at this moment. And most likely, Mr. Granger could spy the guilt.

"No, actually, Dad. Draco isn't my boyfriend." Draco looked up curiously. "We're engaged."

Draco literally thought Mr. Granger was going to pass out. His eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped a considerable amount. He seemed to be choking on something invisible, or his tongue, and for a moment Draco was ready to call the medics. But, a minute later, he had recovered enough to go very red and start sputtering incoherently.

"Him?" he finally managed out. Draco rose to defend himself but Hermione shushed him.

"Let's just go home and we can talk about it there. Draco, can you take our things to your place and then apparate to my house?"

"To his house?" her father asked, and Draco rolled his eyes. This was way worse than his worst imaginations.

"Yes, well, we planned to move in together and well, he's quite well off." Draco scoffed and she glared at him. "Again, Draco will meet us at the house and we can all sit and talk."

"Sounds lovely honey," he mother said. She appraised Draco for a moment and then the three of them turned around and waked away.

Draco grabbed his luggage, intent on leaving and getting back as soon as possible. He knew the drive to Hermione's parents' house to be quite short, so he should probably hurry. Most likely, his mother wouldn't be around, so it would be easy to get home and leave immediately. There would be time for Hermione to pick their bedroom later, and choose the set up. Draco's old room wouldn't be used; too small for his liking.

He was about to leave when Melana stomped over to him, hands on her hips and a pour on her face.

"You know, some girls would complain when the guy they just fucked got up and left without so much as a goodbye."

"But not you," he commented, trying to sidestep her to get his trunk. She mirrored him.

"Look, Draco, whatever happened…"

"Whatever happened was irresponsible, done in the moment, and because I was drunk."

She looked as though she had been slapped, but her face quickly turned back into calm composure.

"Well then."

Draco suddenly felt angry with himself. He irrationally felt the urge to comfort her, and instantly regretted his harsh words from just a second ago. He shouldn't feel this way; in fact, he shouldn't be speaking to Melana right now. What he should have been doing was gathering up his luggage and heading home. Which he now planned to do.

"Melana, this isn't about you. This is about me. We were both intoxicated, and although normally I enjoy you immensely, last night is causing me some regret and remorse. I'm engaged now, and I have responsibilities."

"I get it, Draco. But I figured since we've always been friends, I could at least visit sometimes?"

"Don't," he advised. "Hermione will be around now, and… you get it. Bad impression, right?"

"Write me?" she suggested, watching as he gathered up his things, using his wand to magically shrink them, and placed them in his robes' pocket.

"Sure," he agreed insincerely, knowing he would never get the chance to pen even one letter to her or any of his old girlfriends or mates from school. Life went on.

"Bye Draco."

"Bye Mel," he said shortly, spun on his heel, and apparated to his house. He saw the look of disappointment on her face as he was whisked away.

--

Within a few short moments, Draco was at Hermione's doorstep, knocking politely on the door. It was significantly warmer in London than it had been at the station in Hogsmeade when they left; he was feeling warm in his robes. Cursing himself, he suddenly wished he had changed. But when Mr. Granger opened the door to admit him, a swish of cold air escaped from the house, bathing Draco in coolness. He sighed in relief and stepped inside.

The Grangers' home was quite humble; simple, Draco could tell. The door he had been let into was off to the side of a sitting room, where Hermione was seated. In the kitchen, beyond the sitting room, he could see Mrs. Granger tinkering with tea cups, an apron already on. A plate of cookies was already set of the table in the sitting room.

Mr. Granger paced awkwardly for a second and then took a seat in an overstuffed armchair, which rocked slightly as he sat down. Draco crossed the room nervously and took a seat on the edge of the loveseat, next to Hermione. Her hand softly brushed his fingertips and he smiled, despite his anxiety. Mrs. Granger bustled into the room, placing a cup of scalding tea in front of everyone, and handing Mr. Granger what seemed to be brandy.

They all took hesitant sips while Mrs. Granger sat on the longer couch, across from Hermione and Draco. There was an awkward moment where everyone pretended to drink the too-hot tea and then Hermione spoke, which Draco was thankful for.

"Was your mother home, Draco?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. I didn't see her."

"Is your family close, Draco? What does your father do?" Mr. Granger asked.

Draco cleared his throat. "Er, my mother and I are quite close, yes. My father passed away a few months ago."

There was a tense silence. "I'm sorry about that, dear," Hermione's mom said, and Draco nodded sincerely, taking another long draught of his tea. Hermione was smiling in a way that expressed that she was very on edge.

"I expect your mother is in a tight spot, then?"

"What do you mean?" he asked too sharply.

"Well, with your father gone… is money… lacking?"

Draco laughed and Hermione winced a little, giggling in a funny way. "Not very much, Mr. Granger. My family is very well off, and have been for generations. We come from old money, you see. My father rarely worked, really. He had contacts in the Ministry, of course-"

"The Ministry? Ah, you're parents are…" he struggled for the word.

"Pure-bloods," Hermione supplied.

"Yes, pure-bloods. You're fully pure?"

Draco smirked despite himself. "Yes sir. 100%."

"Was there not just a war fought over blood, Hermione? Are you okay with my daughter not being pure like yourself?"

Hermione was glaring at her father. "Dad, it's rude to assume."

"Shush. Answer son."

"Er- well, my father wasn't really… into that sort of thing. Marrying a non-pureblood, I mean. But it doesn't really matter to me."

"Such a gentleman," Mrs. Granger finally said, turning to Hermione. "And so handsome!"

Draco felt himself go a pink in the cheeks, and smiled politely back at Mrs. Granger, who seemed to have already taken a liking to him. He was about to say something complimentary when she exclaimed, apparently finally seeing Hermione's engagement ring.

"Oh! Hermione, it's beautiful! You bought THIS?" she asked Draco. Mr. Granger was now peering over his brandy, open mouthed, apparently trying to find the words.

"Yes, I have a specific ring maker I particularly liked. I had it especially designed for her, actually. There isn't another ring like that in all the world," he stated proudly.

"It's hardly fair," Hermione complained, "that he is providing everything for me, and expects me to be okay with that."

"You'll have your chance to share someday," he suggested, winking at her when her parents were looking away. "Speaking of which, Mrs. Granger, when the time comes, there will be no need to pay for the wedding. My mother will be more than happy too."

"Are you sure? That's normally the wife's job, or is it different in the wizarding world?"

"We aren't as sexist, it appears. Normally, each side pays equal. However, in this case, I'll be paying. There won't be complaints, I expect."

Mrs. Granger was still fawning over the ring, and Mr. Granger apparently had no problem with not having to pay money for a wedding. On the other hand, Hermione was staring at Draco. They hadn't talked abut this, but Draco had reasoned that it made more sense for him to pay for it. After all, she clearly (judging by the state of her home) didn't have the appropriate funds for the kind of wedding that his mother would require of them couple.

"Well, if that's settled, I think we only must talk about… the housing situation."

Hermione sat up straighter, focusing on her father. "Yes, Dad, you see… we just decided it would be much more convenient, for everyone that is, if I simply moved in with Draco."

"And why is that?" His voice was strained, as though he couldn't believe his little girl was leaving him so quickly. In fact, Draco felt he was spot on with this assumption.

"Our house isn't big enough, obviously, unless you'd want Draco and me to be bunking in a twin bed. I shouldn't think it appropriate."

Her father went redder at the thought.

"Anyways," she continued hurriedly, "Draco's house is more than accommodating." Draco nodded eagerly. "More than enough space. His mother doesn't care at all. Actually, I think she prefers him to be around. After all, she does live alone, except for the house elves, I imagine…"

"Elves?"

"Yes, they clean the house, cook our food. Simple chores. We treat them nicely."

"And pay them wages!" Hermione exclaimed. Draco eyed her curiously. "Don't tell me if you don't. When I move in, they'll be receiving a salary, and sick days, and-"

"Hermione, that's not the point. What we're saying is, I wasn't letting Hermione pay for her own flat when I could simply pay. And why pay for another flat, although I easily could, if we could move into my house. Trust me, we have plenty of space. You'll be invited to see, of course."

"Yes," Hermione recovered, taking over for Draco, "We'll all have dinner to meet each other. You'll find his mother very… endearing."

"Exactly. So, tomorrow night, perhaps, we'll floo you over to my Manor… I'll have someone connect your house to the Floo network tomorrow morning. Is that quite alright?"

Hermione's parents looked overwhelmed and harassed. Her father had stopped drinking the brady and was staring, bug-eyed, at Draco, without speaking. Her mother was looking down at the teacup, although it was empty.

"Mom, Dad, is that alright with you?"

"Yes, dear, it's just… a lot to take in all at once."

"I understand. Tomorrow I'll come over to get you and we can Floo over together to Draco's. It's very simple, trust me. It's a bit too far for a drive, really, so this will be easier. I don't think Muggles can do Side-Along Apparation."

"They can't."

"I thought not. Well, that's really all. We should get going. We still need to settle in and it's getting late. Draco, you can go. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Alright." He squeezed her hand and stood up. Mr. Granger followed suit and got to his feet, clapping Draco roughly on the back and then shaking his hand, grunting a bit. Draco was then brought into Mrs. Granger's arms, a small embrace, and then let go of.

Stepping back, he waved shortly and apparated to his home.

--

"So what happened in that five minutes I wasn't there, at the end?" Draco asked, as he and Hermione ate dinner at Draco's table.

Hermione swallowed, still looking around her in amazement. Something in the look of her eyes made Draco think she was wondering where the crystal goblets and gold silverware where. He laughed internally; the goblets were locked away and the silverware… well, Draco's grandfather had sold that long ago.

"My father stormed around a lot, muttering and cursing. A little too much of that brandy, I think. He went upstairs to lie down, and barely said a word to me. I think he's upset that I'm getting married a little too young, really."

Draco chuckled. "And your mother?"

"She likes you a lot. Thinks you're a gentleman," she said, laughing. Draco rolled his eyes. "Then she asked me if we've slept together."

Draco laughed out loud. "And you said…?"

"I certainly didn't tell her that I'm shagging you nightly, if that's what you meant. I told her that we had before and are being safe. She seemed okay with that."

"Damn, you told your mom?"

"Wouldn't you tell your mom?"

He laughed. "My mom knows I'm a player, Hermione. I've brought home the girls before, at least for the night. However, I feel like your mother maintained this innocent pure version of you in her mind."

"Yes, well, I shattered that." She smiled widely.

--

**A/n- There will be one more chapter (it's not the wedding chapter, heads up), and then I'll begin work on the sequel. Reviews please. 3**


	24. Settled In

**A/n- Ahh, final chapters are so difficult yet relieving to compose. Read, review, enjoy. Let it sink in. Sequel on its' way in the coming week. **

**I changed the rating, but it'll be T for the sequel (there won't be any bad lemons, just language of course).**

**IMPORTANT: You should put me on Author Alert, so you can be notified when my new stories come out and the SEQUEL. I'm not sure what the title will be, since I'm horrid with titles, so just be on the lookout!**

--

_But something happened  
For the very first time with you  
My heart melts into the ground  
Found something true  
And everyone's looking round  
Thinking I'm going crazy_

(Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis)

Chapter 24: Settled In

"Draco, for Merlin's sake, are you ready yet?" Hermione raged through the bathroom door. Draco could imagine her, standing outside the door, with her hand on her hip. She was already acting way too much like a wife, and they had only been in Draco's home little over a day.

"Gimme a minute," he said, toying with the tie he was trying to knot correctly. He was never going to get this Muggle stuff. He threw it off angrily for the eighteenth time and groaned.

"What are you doing, anyways?" she called.

"Nothing, nothing," he mumbled, finally giving up and putting the tie on the door handle and opening the door. Hermione was indeed standing there, her hands across her chest.

"Finally. Now, let me see." She looked over his appearance; white button up shirt, black dinner jacket over it, with dark black pants. To Draco, it was very suit-like; Hermione insisted it was simply Muggle formal wear.

"Alright?" he asked, looking for her opinion. He swept his hair out of his eyes; it was getting too long again, so he'd definitely be in for a haircut soon.

"You look nice, my mother will fawn over you obsessively. Where's the tie?"

"Tie? Hmm. Open-collar looks better."

"You can't tie a tie."

"Nope."

"Get me it, I'll do it."

He yanked the difficult tie back to Hermione and she smirked, placing it correctly around his neck. Then, she reached for her wand in her pocket and charmed it tied. Draco rolled his eyes, upset that he hadn't thought of that.

"Wish I had thought of that."

"That's why you're marrying me," she said smartly. Draco rolled his eyes again and scoffed, but she simply linked arms with him and trudged him out the door.

Dinner was being served in the dining room, and Hermione and Draco were close to being late. They flew down the flights of stairs and ran to the dining room double-doors, dodging house elves carrying plates of food everywhere. When they burst through the doors, they were met with the sound of gentle laughter and the clinking of china. The couple looked up and saw, to their delight, happiness of the three adults' faces.

"Sorry we're late," Hermione said for the two of them, kissing both of her parents on the cheek and taking a seat beside them. Draco mirrored her actions with his mother, and then sat beside her.

"That's quite alright, Hermione, I was just telling your mother some of the more funny stories of Draco as a child. Draco, remember when Lucius told you to play in traffic and you –"

"No, mom, I don't."

"Well, it was certainly funny. Oh, Hermione, your parents got a kick out of the elves. Scared them bloody senseless."

Hermione giggled, eyeing her dad apprehensively. He seemed to not be enjoying the little scurrying elves, who were now serving the main courses onto the table. Draco had a small aversion to them as well, but he was as nice to them as possible. After the Dobby incident, his mother and he decided it was best to keep the elves happy and content.

"They're so odd, aren't they?" Mrs. Granger said, peering into their bulb-like eyes intently. One of them bowed very low and scurried back to the kitchen.

"Yes, but they get the job done."

"Hermione says they ought to be paid, mother."

"Paid? But Hermione, dear, they hate being paid. Not that we've ever offered but, trust me, a free elf isn't a happy elf."

"Dobby was happy."

"Dobby was a bit loopy, even when he was with us. Pass the potatoes, Draco." Everyone had started eating now, commenting on how well prepared the meal was. At first, the Grangers seemed a little scared to eat something created by mythical creatures, but in the end decided it was worth the risk.

Everyone ate and chatted throughout the meal, mostly about old family memories and what the future had in store for the two. Draco tried to stay away from talking about his father too much; it made him very uncomfortable. Luckily, his mother was engaging the Grangers in a discussion about their professions, dentists, and forced them to explain the entire process. Afterwards, Hermione lectured his mother on the importance of Muggle colleges.

"The Muggle world is so fascinating. I'm not sure how you all do it!" she exclaimed at the end. Draco laughed.

"That's her way of complimenting you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Do we mind a change of scenery? It's still light outside and the view is magnificent as the sun sets."

The parents nodded in approval, Mrs. Granger giggling in response to Draco's suggestion, she seemed to think it was romantic of him. They walked out through the glass set of doors leading onto the patio. Draco waves his wand and the chairs rounded themselves up and into a small circle. He chose a seat and sat down, holding Hermione's hand on his knee.

The conversation stayed mainly normal for awhile, until Mrs. Granger had to bring up the wedding details. His mother was possibly more excited than Hermione's mom, although it was debatable. Each of them edged forward of their seat and began discussing everything from invites to catering. Of course, Narcissa was insisting on a wizard wedding, she would have no other, and was going through the finer points of the ceremony when Draco began to nod off.

It was slightly boring, he had to admit, listening to these women jabber about plans that had months to be set in stone. Hermione and he had already decided they wanted to have a rather long engagement, and wait a while to become settled before having a wedding. Besides, many of their school friends were having weddings immediately, and there would be too much competition. Hermione was debating on perhaps next May or June.

Next to him, Hermione seemed to be as uninterested as him. She wasn't very much the traditional person, and she had made it clear to him that she didn't want a big wedding or anything truly special. However, he knew that Narcissa wouldn't let either of them get away with that. Draco had suggested, snidely, to elope, but Hermione turned that down. Of course, little miss "I never do anything wrong" wouldn't live that far on the edge.

After awhile, Draco attempted to tune back in to the conversation. It seemed to be subtly shifting slowly to the topic of their parents' weddings, which was a healthy escape. Draco was prepared to call it a night (the sun had already set), when Narcissa interjected.

"Oh! Hermione, I forgot to tell you! I've found the perfect wedding dress for you."

"Er… shouldn't I pick?" she asked stupidly. Draco shook his head, glaring at her. Like she'd ever make such a big decision on her own.

"Sure, sure, but you'll absolutely love this one I've found! I was in Paris last week-"

"Paris? I hardly think I can afford it," she scoffed.

Narcissa rounded angrily on Draco. "Didn't you tell her we'd be paying for everything? It'd be rude not to," she scolded.

"I told her, mom, trust me."

"Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione started, but she was stopped.

"Call me Narcissa," Draco's mother urged.

"Right, Narcissa, it's unnecessary for you to pay for everything. It's generous of you, but I can surely pay for som-"

"Hush, dear, it's all been settled. Next week sometime, Draco, myself and you shall apparate over to Paris. There's still the matter of the bridesmaids dresses, but then again, we'd need to decide on a color…"

"Mom, stop fussing, at least tonight," Draco pleaded, and she finally stopped.

"Oh, fine then, but Mrs. Granger is just as excited as I am!" she defended.

Mrs. Granger nodded eagerly. "Of course, honey, we're so happy for you."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up. Draco followed her lead, definitely eager to get out of here. He'd had enough of parents for a lifetime after this.

"We're gunna head up to bed," Hermione stated for the two of them, leaning over and kissing both of her parents on their cheeks. Her father hadn't said much up until this point but finally spoke up.

"You mean, in the same room?" he said, frazzled.

"Mr. Granger, with all due respect, we have been living together since the beginning of school. The Heads live together."

"Well, yes, but, presumably in separate rooms and beds and-"

"Dad, don't stress yourself out with such thoughts."

"Are you saying you've been sleeping with my daughter?" he demanded, going red. Narcissa was snickering.

"Uhm, er…"

"Dave, stop it, it's rude. Run along," Mrs. Granger commanded, and Draco and Hermione made a mad dash for the doors. Draco almost slammed into the glass door in his haste, but luckily he had caught himself at the last moment.

--

"Well, that went a little better than I originally expected. Your mom didn't show any type of aversion to them," Hermione mentioned as the two washed up for bed. Draco grunted.

"Your dad is a little upfront isn't he?" he asked sarcastically.

"He's just protective of me."

"Apparently, thinking his 18 year old daughter hasn't been laid yet."

"Isn't that what all fathers hope for?"

"I'm hoping my son will be a player, that's what I'm hoping for."

"Well, he'll be like his father then," Hermione said, eyeing him Draco felt his stomach turn.

"I'm not a player."

"Not anymore," she whispered in his ear, tugging on it with her lips. Draco sighed, trying to relieve the tension in his stomach. This whole being guilty thing needed to end, now.

The couple climbed into bed and kissed for a long time. It was silent in the house; Narcissa must have shown the Grangers out and gone to bed, or else, out somewhere. Draco knew that his mother rarely slept; she hated being alone terribly, and sleeping in a cold bed didn't help. The two snogged for a good while. Draco could tell Hermione wasn't much in the mood for a shag tonight.

"Want to go to bed?" he asked after a few more minutes.

"Without a shag?" she wondered.

"You don't seem in the mood."

"I was temporarily distracted. Your mom is freaking me out with all that wedding talk."

"We don't have to overdo it. I can talk to her, okay," he promised.

"Please do," she begged. "I don't want to make a huge deal out of this."

"Alright babe," he said soothingly, playing with her curls. "May I distract you in another way?"

"Yes, please." She smiled.

And for the first time in Draco's house, the two connected. And Draco felt whole once again. For those long moments, he felt himself. This was where he was meant to be, and he knew it. Past mistakes put aside, Hermione was his present and future. And he needed to live for her, from now on. Life was no longer about himself only; life would be a constant attempt to reach this sense of being, this feeling of wholeness.

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**A/n- It's short, but, I'd like to get onto the sequel. Reviews are always welcome. **


	25. Heads Up

A/n- Just a head's up for those of you who don't have me on Author Alert. The first chapter of the sequel is FINALLY up. I know it took forever. I'm a busy kid. Hopefully, chapters will be weekly or biweekly now. It'll be a shorter fic, just to let everyone know.

It's called "What Almost Wasn't" and obviously, is by me. Whatever means you use to find it, please do, and read. Reviews are amazing.

I'll soon be publishing different stories which I currently working on. I'll let everyone know. Thanks for your support.


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